Washington · SOC 17-2041
Chemical Engineer Salary in Washington
VerifiedPublished wages for chemical engineers in Washington, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Chemical Engineers in Washington earn a median of $130,830 per year ($136,270 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $109,310–$163,890; the top 10% earn $182,040. That is 7% above the national median of $121,860, ranking Washington #10 of 43 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$130,830
+7% vs national
Top 10% earn
$182,040
90th percentile
Employed in state
600
Reliability Moderate (10.1% RSE)
Chemical Engineer pay distribution — Washington 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 | $92,610 | +18% |
| 25th percentile | $109,310 | +14% |
| Median50th percentile | $130,830 | +7% |
| 75th percentile | $163,890 | +8% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $182,040 | — |
| Meanaverage | $136,270 | +6% |
Where chemical engineers earn most in Washington
Metro areas in Washington where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2041. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| KennewickKennewick-Richland, WA | $139,560 | $182,040 | 300 |
| SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $135,830 | $177,080 | 150 |
| PortlandPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $129,930 | $189,430 | 120 |
Washington engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.29
Jobs per 1,000
0.17
State rank (pay)
#10 of 43
All engineering roles
$150,511
A location quotient of 1.29 means Washington 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), Washington (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →