Pennsylvania · SOC 17-2041
Chemical Engineer Salary in Pennsylvania
VerifiedPublished wages for chemical engineers in Pennsylvania, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Chemical Engineers in Pennsylvania earn a median of $107,040 per year ($119,510 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $85,950–$148,200; the top 10% earn $171,290. That is 12% below the national median of $121,860, ranking Pennsylvania #25 of 43 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$107,040
-12% vs national
Top 10% earn
$171,290
90th percentile
Employed in state
970
Reliability Good (5.6% RSE)
Chemical Engineer pay distribution — Pennsylvania vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $79,070 | +1% |
| 25th percentile | $85,950 | -11% |
| Median50th percentile | $107,040 | -12% |
| 75th percentile | $148,200 | -3% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $171,290 | -6% |
| Meanaverage | $119,510 | -7% |
Where chemical engineers earn most in Pennsylvania
Metro areas in Pennsylvania where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2041. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PittsburghPittsburgh, PA | $133,880 | $170,250 | 170 |
| PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $120,300 | $178,270 | 850 |
| AllentownAllentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $109,360 | $182,120 | 150 |
| ReadingReading, PA | $96,960 | $130,840 | 40 |
Pennsylvania engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.23
Jobs per 1,000
0.16
State rank (pay)
#25 of 43
All engineering roles
$109,667
A location quotient of 1.23 means Pennsylvania employs chemical engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2041 (Chemical Engineers), Pennsylvania (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →