Chemical Engineers
SOC 17-2041 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- Not reported
- Projected openings
- 1,130
- Projected change
- 0%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Judgment and Decision Making
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $139,511 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $130,394 | 130 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | Not reported | 110 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | Not reported | 110 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | Not reported | 80 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | Not reported | 80 |
What the pay actually ranges across
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials Engineers | $132,066 | 2,060 | +10% |
| Industrial Engineers | $128,088 | 24,010 | +11.9% |
| Chemists | $100,599 | 7,770 | +7.9% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,564 | 20,280 | +11.5% |
| Nuclear Engineers | $177,226 | 730 | +9.1% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $213,808 | 20,870 | +5% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Plastics Engineering Technology Certificate
California State University Pomona - CPGE (Foundation) · Pomona · $1,425