Materials engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

53.7k

Average Age

40.5

Estimated Job Growth

5.65%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$106,052

Average Male Salary

$107,565

Average Female Salary

$98,580

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 $106,052 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Materials engineers are Washington County (Central)--Hillsboro City PUMA, OR, Sandoval County New Mexico PUMA, NM, and Monroe County PUMA, MI. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Materials engineers are Washington County (Central)--Hillsboro City PUMA, OR, Sandoval County New Mexico PUMA, NM, and Georgia Mountains Regional Commission--Hall County (West)--Flowery Branch City PUMA, GA.

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

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Materials engineers workforce. Materials engineers workforce in 2024 was 53,653 people, of which 16.8% were women and 83.2% were men.

Materials engineers are paid most in Contra Costa County (South)--San Ramon City & Danville Town PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Washington County (Central)--Hillsboro City PUMA, OR.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

44,622

Male Workforce

± 5.19k

9,031

Female Workforce

± 2.33k

The Materials engineers workforce in 2024 was 53,653 people (16.8% women and 83.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of 63.2% between 2014 (32,882) and 2024 (53,653).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Materials engineers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Maine ($136,022), California ($133,636), and Idaho ($128,450).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$106,052

AVERAGE WAGE

#51 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Materials engineers earned an average of $106,052, $36,175 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Materials engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Materials engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.27, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Materials engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Materials engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Materials engineers and on wages 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 ($165,859).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

53.7k

2024 Workforce

± 5,686

2.72%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 14.7%

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 40.9%, followed by Aircraft & parts manufacturing with 23.3% and Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing with 23.2%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Materials engineers in the US. The workforce of Materials engineers in 2024 was 53,653 people, with 16.8% woman, and 83.2% men. The average age of male Materials engineers in the workforce is 41.3 and of female Materials engineers is 36.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Materials engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Materials engineers in 2024 was 53,653 people, with 16.8% woman, and 83.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (10,322 people), 30 to 34 years (8,751 people), and 35 to 39 years (5,936 people). Among them they concentrated 47% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 11.8% of Materials engineers workers were Hispanic and 88.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (66.3%), Puerto Rican (11.5)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (7.79)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 67.1% of the Materials engineers workforce were White, of which 13.5% were women and 86.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (16.2%) and Two or More Races (8.75%).

Education & Skills

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 the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Mechanical Technologies.

Among the necessary skills for Materials engineers, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Materials engineers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

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

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Materials engineers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (25,934 people), Physical Sciences (4,934 people), and Business (3,254 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Materials engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (28,839 people), Graduate Degree (13,636 people), and Associates Degree (4,382 people).

The graphic shows the Materials engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

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, Critical Thinking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Materials Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Materials Engineers are expected to see a growth of 5.65% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

5.65%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

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 more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.