Career Profile: Chemical Engineers

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 26,900 people employed as chemical engineers in the United States. The median annual salary is $105,550. Entry level employees earn approximately $62,730 per year and senior employees earn approximately $187,430 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
• Design and plan layout of equipment.
• Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
• Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
• Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
• Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
• Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
• Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
• Perform laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and test proposed processes in small-scale operation, such as a pilot plant.
• Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
• Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.
• Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
• Direct activities of workers who operate or are engaged in constructing and improving absorption, evaporation, or electromagnetic equipment.

Career Explorer