Graduates earn a median $67,073 two years after finishing, more than 92% of bachelor's majors.
Measured across 188 US programmes by the Department of Education — real graduate pay, not survey answers.
A
The verdict on the money
Yes, on the money — this is one of the best-paying majors at this level in the country.
Median earnings$67,0732 years after finishing
Typical range$60,714–$72,022middle half of US programmes
Over no degree+$27,553vs $39,520 high-school median
Graduates a year8,935188 programmes
Where a Chemical Engineering degree pays best
US programmes ranked on their own graduates' median earnings two years out.
It is the median of what real graduates of this exact major earned, taken from tax records two years after
they completed. It is not a starting salary, not an average of job adverts, and not a projection.
The median bachelor's major in this dataset reports $37,568, so Chemical Engineering sits
above the middle by $29,505.
Two years is early in a career. Fields with long training pipelines — medicine, law, research — look weaker at
this point than they will at ten, while trades and applied technical fields peak sooner. Read a low figure in a
long-pipeline subject as "slow start", not "bad degree".
There is no debt figure here on purpose. The Department of Education publishes earnings by
field of study but not borrowing, so nobody can honestly tell you the debt of a specific major. Debt is
published per institution — that is where our
university cost pages carry it.
We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider here. It never changes the earnings figures on
this page — those come from the US Department of Education.
Chemical Engineering: the questions people ask
How much do Chemical Engineering graduates earn?
The median bachelor's graduate earns $67,073 two years after finishing, across 158 US programmes that publish the figure. One year out it is $66,094.
Is a Chemical Engineering degree worth it?
Yes, on the money — this is one of the best-paying majors at this level in the country. The median graduate earns $27,553 a year more than a US worker whose highest qualification is a high-school diploma.
What is the salary range for Chemical Engineering?
Half of US programmes report medians between $60,714 and $72,022. Where you study moves this figure more than most applicants expect.
How many people graduate in Chemical Engineering each year?
About 8,935 students complete a bachelor's in this field each year across 188 US programmes.
Does this include student debt?
No — and deliberately. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not debt, so any "debt by major" figure you see elsewhere is an estimate. Debt is published per institution, which is why our university pages carry it and this page does not.
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings (median earnings of graduates who
received federal financial aid, measured 1–3 years after completion). Figures are per major and credential level,
pooled across US programmes. Information only, not financial advice.