Side-by-side distribution
Chemical Engineer
$105,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 47.5%
- Live roles
- 122
Materials Engineer
$129,675
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 47.8%
- Live roles
- 276
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Chemical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer IV - Wet Chemical Tool
Chemical/Mechanical Engineer
Senior Chemical Process Engineer
Senior Chemical Propulsion Engineer
Senior Chemical Engineer – Process Development
Chemical Delivery/Flow Control Device Quality Engineer E4
Chemical Process Engineer
Project Engineer (CAPITAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT) (CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING)
Senior Chemical Engineer – Process Technology
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Nuclear Materials Engineer
Electro-Optics Materials and Device Engineer
Materials Research and Development Engineer
Electronics Parts, Materials, and Processes Engineer
Quantum Superconducting Materials Engineer
Principal TPS Materials Engineer
Staff Materials Engineer (Level 5)
Senior Data Engineer, Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics, Materials
Principal Propulsion Engineer - Materials and Processes
Senior Materials Engineer, Diagnostics
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
|
$98,800 | 9 |
Barr Engineering
|
$78,000 | 8 |
KLA
|
$82,883 | 4 |
|
Applied Materials
|
$158,500 | 3 |
Samsung
|
$110,500 | 3 |
Solenis
|
$95,296 | 3 |
|
Apex Technology, Inc.
|
$155,000 | 2 |
|
Leidos
|
$116,344 | 2 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Blue Origin
|
$119,041 | 19 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$129,500 | 11 |
|
Helion
|
$200,000 | 7 |
Relativity Space
|
$155,000 | 7 |
|
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
|
$98,800 | 7 |
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 6 |
|
Penn State University
|
$170,079 | 4 |
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 3 |
Materials Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | $160,199 | 7 |
| San Francisco | $140,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $132,500 | 9 |
| Seattle | $119,041 | 19 |
Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Chemical Engineer is $105,000 per year (typically $86,809–$131,250), versus $129,675 for Materials Engineer ($112,750–$165,000). That puts Materials Engineer about 24% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chemical Engineer and Materials Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.