Virginia · SOC 17-2131
Materials Engineer Salary in Virginia
VerifiedPublished wages for materials engineers in Virginia, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Materials Engineers in Virginia earn a median of $106,290 per year ($113,550 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $81,480–$139,280; the top 10% earn $169,100. That is 2% below the national median of $108,310, ranking Virginia #17 of 46 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$106,290
-2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$169,100
90th percentile
Employed in state
620
Reliability Good (7.8% RSE)
Materials Engineer pay distribution — Virginia 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 | $60,500 | -11% |
| 25th percentile | $81,480 | -5% |
| Median50th percentile | $106,290 | -2% |
| 75th percentile | $139,280 | +1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $169,100 | -2% |
| Meanaverage | $113,550 | -2% |
Where materials engineers earn most in Virginia
Metro areas in Virginia where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2131. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $135,400 | $191,880 | 760 |
| Virginia BeachVirginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $118,830 | $172,780 | 210 |
| KingsportKingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | $107,560 | $136,590 | 40 |
| RichmondRichmond, VA | $102,700 | $163,840 | 190 |
Virginia engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.04
Jobs per 1,000
0.15
State rank (pay)
#17 of 46
All engineering roles
$126,416
A location quotient of 1.04 means Virginia employs materials engineers at roughly the national rate.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2131 (Materials Engineers), Virginia (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →