Occupation salary profile

Materials Engineers

SOC 17-2131 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.

National median · BLS
$112,860
▲ +4.2% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$121,400
▲ +5.78% YoY · 1,565 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$120,250
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
22,770
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Materials Engineers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 1,565 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$72,300$87,043
25th$88,080$95,701
Median (50th)$112,860$121,400
75th$142,720$135,000
90th — top pay$175,720$155,251
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $121,400 for Materials Engineers — 7.6% above the BLS national median of $112,860.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Materials Engineers

BLS projects employment of materials engineers to grow 7.5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
23,800 → 25,600
+1,800 jobs
Projected change
+7.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,300
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
3.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $121,400
Change vs prior year +5.78%
After inflation (CPI-U) +2.57%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 200 12.8% $70,946 $85,987 $95,243
Level II 378 24.2% $95,545 $106,350 $116,176
Level III 604 38.6% $124,051 $133,432 $139,625
Level IV 204 13% $133,890 $155,000 $171,398
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Materials Engineers

The 15 most-filed job titles inside SOC 17-2131, from 1,565 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Process Engineer 645 41.21% $104,000 $124,090 $133,432 +10.05%
Materials Engineer 46 2.94% $91,531 $107,936 $130,000 -1.88%
Staff Engineer 38 2.43% $124,024 $142,813 $151,676 -1.28%
Packaging Engineer 26 1.66% $115,261 $124,090 $133,432 +13.06%
Product Engineer 24 1.53% $128,284 $137,093 $158,018 +0.26%
Engineer generic 22 1.41% $90,730 $108,492 $115,002 +19.58%
Metallurgist 21 1.34% $85,380 $102,400 $111,000 +16.1%
Field Process Engineer 19 1.21% $109,117 $112,715 $125,143 -2.36%
Principal Engineer 16 1.02% $149,756 $159,830 $172,385 +9.31%
Process Support Engineer 14 0.89% $96,966 $106,875 $128,683 -15.05%
Research Engineer 12 0.77% $89,048 $108,222 $121,250 -1.62%
Postdoctoral Research Associate 12 0.77% $58,656 $60,828 $65,250 —
Engineer Process Engineering 11 0.7% $82,654 $95,722 $100,558 +23.12%
Semiconductor Process Engineer 11 0.7% $95,000 $110,000 $115,000 -3.85%
Research Scientist 10 0.64% $80,000 $92,640 $162,120 -3.5%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Materials Engineers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Mathematics4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Science4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Engineering and Technology4.7
  • Mathematics4.3
  • Production and Processing4.2
  • Physics4.1
  • English Language3.9
  • Chemistry3.8
  • Computers and Electronics3.4
  • Design3.4
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointAutodesk AutoCADC++Dassault Systemes SolidWorksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft WordOracle DatabasePythonSAP softwareThe MathWorks MATLABANSYS MultiphysicsDassault Systemes CATIA

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What materials engineers do

  • Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
  • Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
  • Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
  • Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
  • Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
  • Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
  • Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
  • Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
Also called
Materials Research EngineerMetallurgistProcess EngineerTextile EngineerAutomotive Sheet Metal EngineerCeramic EngineerExtrusion EngineerMaterials Development EngineerMetallurgical Engineer
More job titles for this occupation (20)
Ceramic Design EngineerCeramic Research EngineerCeramics Test EngineerCharacterization EngineerCorrosion EngineerExtractive MetallurgistFailure Analysis EngineerForensic Materials EngineerFoundry MetallurgistFoundry Process EngineerGlass Science EngineerMaterial Science EngineerMetallographerMetallurgical SpecialistPhysical MetallurgistPlastics EngineerPolymer EngineerProcess MetallurgistSmelting EngineerWelding Engineer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.