Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

17-2041 Chemical Engineers

Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.

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)
32,490 3.6 % $36.66 $76,250 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $23.37 $28.34 $35.46 $43.40 $52.72
Annual Wage (2) $48,600 $58,940 $73,750 $90,270 $109,670

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Basic chemical manufacturing 4,820 $36.59 $76,100 1 12
Architectural and engineering services 4,460 $40.38 $84,000 2 4
Scientific research and development services 3,950 $40.03 $83,250 3 5
Management of companies and enterprises 2,140 $35.56 $73,960 4 16
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers mfg. 1,980 $35.44 $73,710 5 18

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Fabric mills 210 $41.49 $86,290 22 1
Oil and gas extraction 370 $41.15 $85,580 16 2
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 160 $40.93 $85,140 27 3
Architectural and engineering services 4,460 $40.38 $84,000 2 4
Scientific research and development services 3,950 $40.03 $83,250 3 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Louisiana 1,350 $37.42 $77,830 0.073% 21
West Virginia 460 $34.37 $71,500 0.068% 24
Texas 5,120 $38.99 $81,090 0.056% 34
New Jersey 1,950 $39.77 $82,710 0.050% 47
South Carolina 830 $36.67 $76,270 0.047% 21

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 2,280 $44.19 $91,910 0.016% 30
New Mexico 300 $40.83 $84,930 0.041% 17
New Jersey 1,950 $39.77 $82,710 0.050% 47
Texas 5,120 $38.99 $81,090 0.056% 34
Connecticut 430 $38.41 $79,880 0.026% 50

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Brazoria, TX PMSA 560 $38.96 $81,030 0.741%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 320 $37.19 $77,350 0.367%
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA 210 $38.37 $79,800 0.265%
Lake Charles, LA MSA 200 $37.43 $77,860 0.245%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 330 $38.14 $79,330 0.216%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Danbury, CT PMSA 40 $49.40 $102,750 0.045%
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 220 $44.94 $93,480 0.034%
Nashville, TN MSA 80 $44.89 $93,370 0.012%
San Antonio, TX 60 $44.61 $92,790 0.009%
Houston, TX PMSA 2,220 $42.32 $88,030 0.108%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan 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.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004