Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
17-2131 Materials Engineers
Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.
National estimates for Materials Engineers
Industry profile for Materials Engineers
Geographic profile for Materials Engineers
National estimates for Materials Engineers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Materials Engineers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 24,740 |
2.5 % |
$ 48.34 |
$ 100,550 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Materials Engineers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 27.87 |
$ 35.55 |
$ 45.98 |
$ 59.42 |
$ 74.20 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 57,970 |
$ 73,950 |
$ 95,640 |
$ 123,590 |
$ 154,340 |
Industry profile for Materials Engineers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Materials Engineers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Materials Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Materials Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
3,520 |
0.23 |
$ 48.44 |
$ 100,760 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
3,110 |
0.59 |
$ 55.84 |
$ 116,150 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
1,590 |
0.21 |
$ 52.53 |
$ 109,260 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
1,460 |
0.07 |
$ 58.47 |
$ 121,610 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
1,030 |
0.04 |
$ 48.45 |
$ 100,770 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Materials Engineers:
Top paying industries for Materials Engineers:
Geographic profile for Materials Engineers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Materials Engineers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Materials Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Materials Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,430 |
0.15 |
0.83 |
$ 53.23 |
$ 110,710 |
| Texas |
2,300 |
0.19 |
1.07 |
$ 52.27 |
$ 108,710 |
| Ohio |
2,130 |
0.41 |
2.33 |
$ 43.98 |
$ 91,470 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,600 |
0.29 |
1.63 |
$ 46.59 |
$ 96,900 |
| Michigan |
1,060 |
0.27 |
1.51 |
$ 39.56 |
$ 82,280 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Mexico |
390 |
0.50 |
2.80 |
$ 60.59 |
$ 126,020 |
| Alabama |
790 |
0.42 |
2.34 |
$ 45.13 |
$ 93,880 |
| Ohio |
2,130 |
0.41 |
2.33 |
$ 43.98 |
$ 91,470 |
| South Carolina |
750 |
0.37 |
2.10 |
$ 39.76 |
$ 82,690 |
| Utah |
480 |
0.32 |
1.80 |
$ 41.43 |
$ 86,160 |
Top paying states for Materials Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Mexico |
390 |
0.50 |
2.80 |
$ 60.59 |
$ 126,020 |
| Maryland |
810 |
0.32 |
1.79 |
$ 59.25 |
$ 123,250 |
| Louisiana |
270 |
0.15 |
0.85 |
$ 53.86 |
$ 112,020 |
| California |
2,430 |
0.15 |
0.83 |
$ 53.23 |
$ 110,710 |
| Texas |
2,300 |
0.19 |
1.07 |
$ 52.27 |
$ 108,710 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Materials Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,060 |
0.18 |
1.02 |
$ 54.66 |
$ 113,690 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
720 |
0.24 |
1.36 |
$ 61.30 |
$ 127,510 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
600 |
0.07 |
0.38 |
$ 50.81 |
$ 105,680 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
580 |
0.22 |
1.21 |
$ 51.48 |
$ 107,070 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
530 |
0.41 |
2.28 |
$ 44.04 |
$ 91,600 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
520 |
0.29 |
1.64 |
$ 40.33 |
$ 83,900 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
510 |
0.17 |
0.95 |
$ 64.68 |
$ 134,530 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
500 |
0.14 |
0.79 |
$ 50.14 |
$ 104,300 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
470 |
0.11 |
0.60 |
$ 43.46 |
$ 90,400 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
460 |
0.42 |
2.33 |
$ 57.63 |
$ 119,860 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
80 |
1.74 |
9.75 |
$ 58.61 |
$ 121,900 |
| Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA |
160 |
1.48 |
8.33 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Huntsville, AL |
330 |
1.45 |
8.15 |
$ 51.21 |
$ 106,510 |
| Boulder, CO |
170 |
0.91 |
5.12 |
$ 63.22 |
$ 131,510 |
| Mansfield, OH |
40 |
0.91 |
5.10 |
$ 41.05 |
$ 85,380 |
| Dayton, OH |
320 |
0.89 |
5.01 |
$ 56.70 |
$ 117,930 |
| Albany, OR |
40 |
0.89 |
4.98 |
$ 49.75 |
$ 103,480 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
300 |
0.87 |
4.88 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Akron, OH |
250 |
0.79 |
4.43 |
$ 45.28 |
$ 94,180 |
| Mobile, AL |
130 |
0.79 |
4.42 |
$ 40.83 |
$ 84,920 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Materials Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
510 |
0.17 |
0.95 |
$ 64.68 |
$ 134,530 |
| Boulder, CO |
170 |
0.91 |
5.12 |
$ 63.22 |
$ 131,510 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
240 |
0.64 |
3.57 |
$ 62.72 |
$ 130,470 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
720 |
0.24 |
1.36 |
$ 61.30 |
$ 127,510 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
200 |
0.16 |
0.88 |
$ 59.19 |
$ 123,110 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
80 |
1.74 |
9.75 |
$ 58.61 |
$ 121,900 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
40 |
0.32 |
1.82 |
$ 58.58 |
$ 121,840 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
460 |
0.42 |
2.33 |
$ 57.63 |
$ 119,860 |
| Dayton, OH |
320 |
0.89 |
5.01 |
$ 56.70 |
$ 117,930 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
60 |
0.16 |
0.92 |
$ 55.19 |
$ 114,800 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Materials Engineers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Engineers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Materials Engineers:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
