Materials Engineers: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $88,080–$142,720. 22,770 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
91% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $94,452.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 1,300 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 23% | Mechanical Engineering |
| Chemical Engineering | 11% | Chemical Engineering |
| Electrical Engineering | 8% | Electrical Engineering |
| Materials Science | 6% | — |
| Materials Engineering And Materials Science | 5% | Materials Engineering |
| Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering | 4% | Industrial Engineering |
| General Engineering | 3% | Engineering |
| Chemistry | 3% | Chemistry |
| Aerospace Engineering | 3% | Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering |
| Metallurgical Engineering | 2% | — |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| New Mexico | $165,600 |
| Maryland | $140,640 |
| Washington | $139,840 |
| Delaware | $131,320 |
| Louisiana | $128,670 |
| California | $128,470 |
| Illinois | $126,620 |
| New York | $125,900 |
| Colorado | $124,030 |
| Alaska | $123,360 |
| Oregon | $122,850 |
| Connecticut | $122,300 |
| South Carolina | $121,610 |
| Florida | $118,780 |
| Texas | $117,700 |
| Virginia | $116,720 |
| Massachusetts | $114,100 |
| Wyoming | $110,970 |
| Alabama | $107,580 |
| New Jersey | $106,920 |
| Arizona | $106,810 |
| Ohio | $106,510 |
| Minnesota | $106,220 |
| Idaho | $105,820 |
| North Carolina | $104,240 |
| Arkansas | $103,900 |
| New Hampshire | $101,290 |
| Indiana | $101,120 |
| Georgia | $100,840 |
| Kentucky | $100,620 |
| Kansas | $100,000 |
| Oklahoma | $99,950 |
| Nevada | $99,010 |
| Missouri | $98,860 |
| Nebraska | $98,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,030 |
| Maine | $97,110 |
| Wisconsin | $96,210 |
| Michigan | $94,050 |
| Tennessee | $91,940 |
| Utah | $88,080 |
| Rhode Island | $87,180 |
| Mississippi | $78,700 |
| Montana | $76,030 |
| Iowa | $64,270 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$96,740
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$123,720
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$100,850
- Jacksonville$104,360
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$138,430
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$140,640
- Richmond$102,440
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$116,720
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$125,200
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$156,730
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$129,480
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$124,180
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$130,040
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$109,100
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$122,450
- Bakersfield-Delano$130,440
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Mathematics
Knowledge used
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Physics
- English Language
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Innovation
- Dependability
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cautiousness
People in this job tend to have Realistic (hands-on), Investigative (analytical), Conventional (organizing) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Materials Engineers: questions
How much do materials Engineers make?
Materials Engineers earn a U.S. median $112,860 a year; the middle half earn $88,080 to $142,720 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $92,873 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is materials Engineers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 7.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a materials Engineer?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 96% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is mechanical Engineering (23%).
How much do materials Engineers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $118,780 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $112,860 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 17-2131. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Materials Engineers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/materials-engineers.