San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · CBSA 41740
Materials Engineer Salary in San Diego
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for materials engineers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Materials Engineers in San Diego earn a median of $124,130 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $98,920–$141,570; the top 10% earn $164,410. That is 15% above the national median and 3% below the California median. BLS reports 230 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$124,130
+15% vs national
Top 10% earn
$164,410
90th percentile
Employed in metro
230
Reliability Good (9.5% RSE)
Materials Engineer pay — San Diego vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $80,990 | +19% |
| 25th percentile | $98,920 | +15% |
| Median50th percentile | $124,130 | +15% |
| 75th percentile | $141,570 | +2% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $164,410 | -4% |
| Meanaverage | $120,950 | +4% |
How concentrated materials engineers are in San Diego
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.01
Jobs per 1,000
0.15
Metro rank (pay)
#21 of 94
All engineering roles
$139,762
San Diego employs materials engineers at close to the national rate (location quotient 1.01).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a materials engineer make in San Diego?
Does San Diego pay more than the rest of California?
Where does San Diego rank nationally for materials engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2131 (Materials Engineers), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →