Materials engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

44.2k

Average Age

42.3

Estimated Job Growth

1.45%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$89,719

Average Male Salary

$89,888

Average Female Salary

$88,635

About

Materials engineers are most often employed by the Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. industry. The average yearly wage for Materials engineers was $89,719 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Materials engineers by wage are Computer systems analysts, Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel, and Database administrators and architects.

Materials engineers are part of the Architecture & engineering occupations, along with Architects, except landscape and naval, Landscape architects, Surveyors, cartographers, & photogrammetrists, Aerospace engineers, Chemical engineers, and 16 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Materials engineers are Hillsboro City PUMA, OR, Fremont City (East) PUMA, CA, and Sterling Heights City PUMA, MI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Materials engineers are Hillsboro City PUMA, OR, Sterling Heights City PUMA, MI, and Forest Grove, Cornelius Cities, Bethany & Oak Hills PUMA, OR.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Architecture & engineering occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Materials engineers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. is the industry that employs the most Materials engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Materials engineers, by average wage, is Petroleum refining. Materials engineers are paid most in Forest Grove, Cornelius Cities, Bethany & Oak Hills PUMA, OR but are relatively concentrated in Hillsboro City PUMA, OR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$89,719

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,295

In 2020, Materials engineers earned an average of $89,719, $33,765 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Database administrators and architects make somewhat more than Materials engineers while Computer systems analysts make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Materials engineers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.273

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Materials engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.273, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Materials engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Materials engineers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Materials engineers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Materials engineers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Materials engineers, by number of employees, are Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. , Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing, Machine shops; turned product; screw, nut & bolt manufacturing , Iron & steel mills & steel product manufacturing, Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified, Electric lighting & electrical equipment manufacturing, & other electrical component manufacturing, n.e.c., Navigational, measuring, electromedical, & control instruments manufacturing, Plastics product manufacturing, Architectural, engineering & related services, and Railroad rolling stock manufacturing.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Materials engineers, by average wage, are Petroleum refining, Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, and Scientific research & development services.

Industries by Share

44.2k

2020 Workforce

± 5,164

3.06%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 16.1%

The number of people employed as Materials engineers has been growing at a rate of 3.06%, from 42,931 people in 2019 to 44,246 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Materials engineers employed by various industries. Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. employs the largest share of Materials engineers at 17.7%, followed by Aircraft & parts manufacturing with 11.7% and Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing with 10.7%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Materials engineers in the US. The average age of male Materials engineers in the workforce is 43 and of female Materials engineers is 38.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Materials engineers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

38.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,804

5.95k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 1,894

86.5% of Materials engineers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Materials engineers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Materials engineers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

69.6% of Materials engineers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 16% of Materials engineers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Materials engineers.

Age by Sex

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.7

38.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 3.87

The median age of Materials engineers is 42.3, and Male employees are generally 4.88 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Materials engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Materials engineers is Engineering but a relatively high number of Materials engineers hold a major in Mechanical Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Materials engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Materials engineers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Science, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Materials engineers need more than the average amount of Science, Technology Design, and Operations Analysis.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Materials Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Materials Engineers are expected to see a growth of 1.45% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

1.45%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Materials Engineers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.