Side-by-side distribution
Chemical Engineer
$106,875
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.8%
- Live roles
- 26
Materials Engineer
$161,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 52.7%
- Live roles
- 93
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Chemical Process Engineer
Senior Chemical Propulsion Engineer
Chemical Propulsion Engineer
Chemical Engineer – Technical Sales
Chemical Engineer
Chemical Engineer (New Grad)
Chemical Engineer
Electrical & Instrumentation Engineer Chemical Plant
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Nuclear Materials Engineer
Materials Scientist / Engineer
Materials Engineer (New Grad Summer 2027)
Materials Engineer (New Grad December 2026)
Principal TPS Materials Engineer
Senior Data Engineer, Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics, Materials
Senior Materials Engineer, Diagnostics
Senior Materials Engineer, Dielectrics
Senior Materials Engineer, Ceramic Fabrication
Staff Materials Engineer, Design Allowables & Materials Data
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Apex Technology, Inc.
|
$155,000 | 2 |
|
Inversion
|
$401,440 | 1 |
|
SpaceX
|
$108,750 | 1 |
|
Hire Hangar
|
$105,000 | 1 |
|
General Matter
|
$101,000 | 1 |
| VT Voyager Technologies, Inc. | $90,000 | 1 |
|
Fuku
|
$5,500 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 7 |
|
Helion
|
$200,000 | 5 |
|
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 5 |
|
Freeform
|
$249,600 | 3 |
Relativity Space
|
$155,000 | 2 |
|
General Matter
|
$145,000 | 2 |
Antares
|
$141,250 | 2 |
Neuralink
|
$116,900 | 2 |
Chemical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $143,000 | 3 |
Materials Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $163,750 | 8 |
| San Francisco | $140,500 | 4 |
Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Chemical Engineer is $106,875 per year (typically $98,250–$149,000), versus $161,000 for Materials Engineer ($125,000–$183,500). That puts Materials Engineer about 51% 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.