Chemical Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2041.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $126,212
- Projected change
- +5.4%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 22.39K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
95.7% of the workforce
Growing to 23.6K by 2035
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The work
What chemical engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- Design and plan layout of equipment.
- Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
- Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
- Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
- Perform laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and test proposed processes in small-scale operation, such as a pilot plant.
- Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.
- Develop computer models of chemical processes.
- Direct activities of workers who operate or are engaged in constructing and improving absorption, evaporation, or electromagnetic equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $77,431
- 25th percentile
- $96,435
- 50th percentile
- $126,212
- 75th percentile
- $161,528
- 90th percentile
- $189,353
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $126,212 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.4%average or slower
202522,389 jobs
2035 projected23,600 jobs
1,211 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 95.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Process Engineers5,035 postings
- 02Process Control Engineers783 postings
- 03Control Systems Engineers639 postings
- 04Chemical Engineers540 postings
- 05Process Development Engineers472 postings
- 06Chemical Process Engineers452 postings
- 07Speech Language Pathologists363 postings
- 08Process Technicians320 postings
- 09Principal Engineers239 postings
- 10Process Development Scientists233 postings
- 11Materials and Process Engineers217 postings
- 12Controls Engineers184 postings
- 13Lead Process Engineers183 postings
- 14Engineering Interns180 postings
- 15Engineers177 postings
- 16Process Engineering Managers175 postings
- 17Process Engineering Interns171 postings
- 18Injection Molding Process Engineers163 postings
- 19Injection Molding Engineers151 postings
- 20Project Engineers130 postings
Top employers
- 01National Staffing Solutions461 postings
- 02Actalent411 postings
- 03Micron Technology230 postings
- 04Jacobs Solutions202 postings
- 05Applied Materials190 postings
- 06GPAC184 postings
- 07Eli Lilly173 postings
- 08Insight Global167 postings
- 09Intel117 postings
- 10Northrop Grumman111 postings
- 11Honeywell International105 postings
- 12ManpowerGroup105 postings
- 13Kelly Services96 postings
- 14RTX89 postings
- 15Turing85 postings
- 16Amgen83 postings
- 17Merck & Co.83 postings
- 18Spectraforce Technologies76 postings
- 19Tesla71 postings
- 20Thermo Fisher Scientific68 postings
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