Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2007
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. Include those 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. Include metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 21,910 |
2.8 % |
$37.90 |
$78,840 |
0.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$22.66 |
$28.90 |
$37.10 |
$46.13 |
$55.92 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$47,140 |
$60,110 |
$77,170 |
$95,940 |
$116,320 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
|
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
2,060 |
$39.22 |
$81,590 |
|
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing |
1,960 |
$36.34 |
$75,590 |
|
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
1,640 |
$40.08 |
$83,380 |
|
Scientific Research and Development Services |
1,370 |
$41.98 |
$87,330 |
|
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
1,240 |
$47.07 |
$97,900 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
State profile for this occupation: Top
States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
|
Connecticut |
660 |
$39.87 |
$82,920 |
0.039% |
|
Colorado |
760 |
$44.38 |
$92,310 |
0.034% |
|
Oregon |
560 |
$37.96 |
$78,960 |
0.033% |
|
Ohio |
1,620 |
$38.89 |
$80,890 |
0.030% |
|
Pennsylvania |
1,400 |
$36.05 |
$74,980 |
0.025% |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
|
Virginia |
470 |
$48.65 |
$101,190 |
0.013% |
|
Maryland |
440 |
$46.18 |
$96,050 |
0.017% |
|
Colorado |
760 |
$44.38 |
$92,310 |
0.034% |
|
Tennessee |
260 |
$42.76 |
$88,950 |
0.009% |
|
Massachusetts |
540 |
$41.37 |
$86,040 |
0.017% |
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top
Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
|
Boulder, CO |
300 |
$47.47 |
$98,730 |
0.187% |
|
Dayton, OH |
420 |
$43.98 |
$91,470 |
0.106% |
|
Huntsville, AL |
190 |
$47.43 |
$98,650 |
0.095% |
|
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
500 |
$40.58 |
$84,400 |
0.088% |
|
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
720 |
$44.70 |
$92,980 |
0.079% |
Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
|
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
320 |
$50.65 |
$105,360 |
0.014% |
|
Baltimore-Towson, MD |
90 |
$47.77 |
$99,360 |
0.007% |
|
Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division |
210 |
$47.58 |
$98,960 |
0.037% |
|
Boulder, CO |
300 |
$47.47 |
$98,730 |
0.187% |
|
Jacksonville, FL |
(8) |
$47.45 |
$98,700 |
(8) |
About May 2007 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia.
The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).
Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more.
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 mean 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.
Other OES estimates and related information:
May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2007 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2007 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order
List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order
Download May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files
Technical notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2008
Bureau of Labor Statistics
