Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · CBSA 42660
Materials Engineer Salary in Seattle
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for materials engineers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Washington and the national benchmark.
Materials Engineers in Seattle earn a median of $140,810 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $121,360–$182,150; the top 10% earn $218,730. That is 30% above the national median and level with the Washington median. BLS reports 1,100 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$140,810
+30% vs national
Top 10% earn
$218,730
90th percentile
Employed in metro
1,100
Reliability Good (8.6% RSE)
Materials Engineer pay — Seattle vs Washington vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $104,760 | +54% |
| 25th percentile | $121,360 | +41% |
| Median50th percentile | $140,810 | +30% |
| 75th percentile | $182,150 | +32% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $218,730 | +27% |
| Meanaverage | $152,420 | +31% |
How concentrated materials engineers are in Seattle
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
3.57
Jobs per 1,000
0.53
Metro rank (pay)
#4 of 94
All engineering roles
$156,767
At a location quotient of 3.57, Seattle is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 3.6× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a materials engineer make in Seattle?
Does Seattle pay more than the rest of Washington?
Where does Seattle rank nationally for materials engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2131 (Materials Engineers), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →