2027 Salary Guide · Engineering
Process engineers in chemical, refining and pharmaceutical plants are counted by BLS as Chemical Engineers, whose median pay was $125,040 in May 2025, or about $133,000 for 2027. Process engineers in factories that assemble parts are usually counted as Industrial Engineers instead, with a median of $102,440. Knowing which side a job sits on explains most of the gap between offers.
Read this first
O*NET lists Process Engineer as a sample title under both Chemical Engineers and Industrial Engineers. The data you should use depends on what the plant does.
In refineries, chemical plants, food and beverage processing and pharmaceutical manufacturing, process engineers design and tune continuous or batch processes: reactions, separations, heat transfer and flow. These jobs usually ask for a chemical engineering degree and fall under BLS Chemical Engineers, the occupation used on this page.
In plants that machine, mold or assemble parts, a process engineer improves a production step such as welding, molding or coating. Those roles are usually classed as Industrial Engineers, with a BLS median of $102,440 and a middle half of $83,600 to $129,250. If that is your job, the manufacturing and quality engineer pages are the better guide.
Semiconductor fabs sit between the two and hire both chemical engineers and other engineering graduates as process engineers, so check the degree the posting asks for.
Pay distribution
The chart shows BLS Chemical Engineers, the closest match for process engineers in continuous and batch process plants. It is an approximation for the title, not a measured figure. The shaded band, $97,820 to $157,190, is where most process engineer titles in this occupation fall.
Typical for the Process Engineer title: $97,820 to $157,190 (25th to 75th percentile of Chemical Engineers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $79,420 | $84,500 |
| 25th percentile | $97,820 | $104,000 |
| Median | $125,040 | $133,000 |
| 75th percentile | $157,190 | $167,000 |
| 90th percentile | $182,880 | $194,500 |
BLS has no process engineer category. This guide benchmarks the title to Chemical Engineers; in discrete manufacturing, Industrial Engineers is the closer match.
Side by side
BLS percentiles for the two occupations process engineers fall under, May 2025.
| Percentile | Chemical Engineers | Industrial Engineers |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $79,420 | $74,370 |
| 25th | $97,820 | $83,600 |
| Median | $125,040 | $102,440 |
| 75th | $157,190 | $129,250 |
| 90th | $182,880 | $159,860 |
The gap widens toward the top: about $5,000 at the 10th percentile and about $27,900 at the 75th.
Local pay
Houston employs about 1,510 chemical engineers, more than three times its share of national jobs, and pays a median of $138,120. Philadelphia (about 790) and Boston (about 910) are the next largest markets. Pittsburgh shows the highest median, $152,290, but from only about 110 jobs, so treat it with caution. BLS does not publish figures for the Bay Area or San Diego.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | $152,290 +22% | $89,940 – $174,940 | 110 |
| Houston | $138,120 +10% | $99,890 – $217,260 | 1,510 |
| Los Angeles | $134,210 +7% | $81,030 – $202,690 | 320 |
| Washington, DC | $132,820 +6% | $93,250 – $185,840 | 640 |
| Portland | $131,690 +5% | $92,870 – $169,770 | 70 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $130,520 +4% | $97,080 – $226,120 | 130 |
| Austin | $129,790 +4% | $92,500 – $219,960 | 60 |
| Albany | $129,060 +3% | $82,460 – $174,830 | 40 |
| Baltimore | $128,610 +3% | $63,150 – $195,190 | 180 |
| Denver | $128,110 +2% | $79,600 – $196,180 | 410 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $127,770 +2% | $79,940 – $176,650 | 790 |
| New York City | $126,830 +1% | $81,680 – $170,460 | 510 |
| Seattle | $125,200 +0% | $84,680 – $179,230 | 230 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $122,730 -2% | $66,110 – $269,800 | 170 |
| Charlotte | $115,890 -7% | $83,760 – $177,620 | 110 |
| Buffalo | $112,770 -10% | $84,310 – $156,710 | 70 |
| Miami | $111,980 -10% | $65,540 – $157,840 | 50 |
| Raleigh | $111,210 -11% | $81,020 – $170,910 | 90 |
| Chicago | $110,760 -11% | $78,700 – $179,020 | 370 |
| Tampa | $110,000 -12% | $76,910 – $160,350 | 30 |
| Boston | $109,460 -12% | $67,810 – $176,120 | 910 |
| Providence | $106,950 -14% | $71,550 – $152,750 | 80 |
| Detroit | $104,230 -17% | $64,460 – $151,110 | 220 |
| Atlanta | $103,520 -17% | $66,030 – $164,590 | 230 |
| Hartford | $101,410 -19% | $84,330 – $165,210 | 180 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
By industry
BLS median pay for Chemical Engineers in the industries that employ the most of them, May 2025.
About 28% of the occupation, the largest single employer group. Most plant-based process engineering jobs are here.
About 11%. Design and consulting firms that engineer plants and process upgrades for clients.
About 9%. Scale-up and pilot plant work in the physical, engineering and life sciences.
About 4%. The highest median of the four, from a small number of jobs.
Outlook
Only about 21,900 people work as chemical engineers nationally, and BLS projects about 1,100 openings a year with faster than average growth. BLS says demand follows demand for the products these engineers make, plus the need to redesign processes as regulations change.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Chemical Engineers as a whole.
Compare
The Chemical Engineers median used here is higher than every comparison role. Industrial Engineers, the other BLS home for process engineers, is about $22,600 lower.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process Engineer | $125,040 | $133,000 | Faster than average |
| Industrial Engineer | $102,440 | $109,000 | Much faster than average |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 | $110,500 | Much faster than average |
| Controls Engineer | $120,630 | $128,000 | Much faster than average |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 | $114,000 | Faster than average |
FAQ
It depends on the plant. Process engineers in chemical and pharmaceutical plants are counted as Chemical Engineers, with a BLS median of $125,040 in May 2025, or about $133,000 for 2027. Those in discrete manufacturing are usually counted as Industrial Engineers, median $102,440. Neither is a measured figure for the exact title.
Process engineer starting pay is not something BLS publishes. For chemical process roles, the 10th percentile was $79,420 and the 25th percentile $97,820 in May 2025. For manufacturing process roles under Industrial Engineers, the 10th percentile was $74,370. Plant roles in Houston or other refining hubs often start higher.
Process engineers and chemical engineers are not separated in BLS data. Process engineers in chemical industries are counted as chemical engineers, so the same figures apply. The title only pays less when the job is really industrial or manufacturing process work, which BLS counts under Industrial Engineers.
Houston has the largest chemical engineering workforce in this guide, about 1,510 jobs, and a median of $138,120, well above the national $125,040. Pittsburgh shows a higher median, $152,290, but from about 110 jobs, so the Houston figure is the more reliable one.
BLS says a license is not required for entry-level chemical engineers. Experienced engineers can earn a Professional Engineer license by passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, gaining several years of experience and passing the PE exam. It matters most in consulting firms that sign off on designs for clients.
Careerscape recruiters specialize by industry, so a chemical plant search and a factory search go to different specialists. Job seekers can browse open process engineering jobs for free.
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