Materials Engineers pay in the U.S.
$120,250avg. a year
$57.81 an hour · 22,770 employed
Materials Engineers in the U.S. earn an average of $120,250 a year and a median of $112,860. Pay is highest in New Mexico ($173,000) and lowest in Montana ($79,600).
$112,860Median pay
$57.81Average hourly
+20%Avg. pay since 2020
22,770Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for materials engineers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1450 jobs
New Mexico
$173,000
$83.17 an hour
21,000 jobs
Washington
$149,070
$71.67 an hour
3740 jobs
Maryland
$140,770
$67.68 an hour
440 jobs
Delaware
$136,900
$65.82 an hour
53,020 jobs
California
$131,090
$63.03 an hour
61,440 jobs
Texas
$126,480
$60.81 an hour
7810 jobs
Colorado
$125,720
$60.44 an hour
890 jobs
Louisiana
$125,450
$60.31 an hour
9590 jobs
New York
$123,860
$59.55 an hour
10120 jobs
Oregon
$123,400
$59.33 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Materials Engineers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $103k$103k–$115k$115k–$122k$122k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $156,740 | $75.36 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $153,780 | $73.94 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $145,070 | $69.74 |
| Boulder, CO | $143,470 | $68.98 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $138,820 | $66.74 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $137,070 | $65.90 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $134,600 | $64.71 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $133,770 | $64.31 |
Related jobs
- Civil Engineers$108,670
- Industrial Engineers$109,900
- Mechanical Engineers$113,610
- Electrical Engineers$125,100
- Engineers, All Other$125,330
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$137,280
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Materials Engineers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $114,610 | $107,580 | 650 |
| Alaska | $116,720 | $123,360 | 70 |
| Arizona | $116,520 | $106,810 | 580 |
| Arkansas | $112,240 | $103,900 | 90 |
| California | $131,090 | $128,470 | 3,020 |
| Colorado | $125,720 | $124,030 | 810 |
| Connecticut | $120,360 | $122,300 | 420 |
| Delaware | $136,900 | $131,320 | 40 |
| Florida | $118,040 | $118,780 | 690 |
| Georgia | $108,070 | $100,840 | 700 |
| Idaho | $98,410 | $105,820 | 90 |
| Illinois | $122,070 | $126,620 | 290 |
| Indiana | $103,160 | $101,120 | 570 |
| Iowa | $82,220 | $64,270 | 200 |
| Kansas | $116,270 | $100,000 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $106,970 | $100,620 | 280 |
| Louisiana | $125,450 | $128,670 | 90 |
| Maine | $104,980 | $97,110 | 100 |
| Maryland | $140,770 | $140,640 | 740 |
| Massachusetts | $120,350 | $114,100 | 1,360 |
| Michigan | $98,980 | $94,050 | 810 |
| Minnesota | $122,710 | $106,220 | 150 |
| Mississippi | $94,600 | $78,700 | 100 |
| Missouri | $102,030 | $98,860 | 300 |
| Montana | $79,600 | $76,030 | 90 |
| Nebraska | $100,320 | $98,270 | 160 |
| Nevada | $107,480 | $99,010 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $106,890 | $101,290 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $117,440 | $106,920 | 260 |
| New Mexico | $173,000 | $165,600 | 450 |
| New York | $123,860 | $125,900 | 590 |
| North Carolina | $110,700 | $104,240 | 640 |
| Ohio | $116,620 | $106,510 | 1,790 |
| Oklahoma | $101,740 | $99,950 | 240 |
| Oregon | $123,400 | $122,850 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $106,560 | $98,030 | 720 |
| Rhode Island | $98,270 | $87,180 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $116,020 | $121,610 | 600 |
| Tennessee | $102,560 | $91,940 | 330 |
| Texas | $126,480 | $117,700 | 1,440 |
| Utah | $100,130 | $88,080 | 460 |
| Virginia | $117,660 | $116,720 | 620 |
| Washington | $149,070 | $139,840 | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $95,180 | $96,210 | 280 |
| Wyoming | $109,870 | $110,970 | 40 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$127,780
1,250 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$121,960
1,020 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$153,780
820 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$145,070
660 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$138,820
560 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$156,740
550 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$110,140
530 jobsDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$121,900
480 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do materials engineers make?
The average is $120,250 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $112,860 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $57.81, and the median is $54.26 an hour.
Which state pays materials engineers the most?
New Mexico, with an average of $173,000 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $156,740.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $72,300 a year, and the top 10% earn over $175,720.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 17-2131. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.