Washington · SOC 17-2131
Materials Engineer Salary in Washington
VerifiedPublished wages for materials engineers in Washington, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Materials Engineers in Washington earn a median of $140,810 per year ($148,500 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $107,510–$182,150; the top 10% earn $218,730. That is 30% above the national median of $108,310, ranking Washington #1 of 46 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$140,810
+30% vs national
Top 10% earn
$218,730
90th percentile
Employed in state
1,240
Reliability Good (8.2% RSE)
Materials 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 | $99,350 | +46% |
| 25th percentile | $107,510 | +25% |
| Median50th percentile | $140,810 | +30% |
| 75th percentile | $182,150 | +32% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $218,730 | +27% |
| Meanaverage | $148,500 | +28% |
Where materials engineers earn most in Washington
Metro areas in Washington where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2131. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $140,810 | $218,730 | 1,100 |
| PortlandPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $135,500 | $176,300 | 70 |
| KennewickKennewick-Richland, WA | $132,490 | $225,290 | 40 |
Washington engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
2.37
Jobs per 1,000
0.35
State rank (pay)
#1 of 46
All engineering roles
$150,511
A location quotient of 2.37 means Washington employs materials 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 17-2131 (Materials Engineers), Washington (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →