DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 10,942 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 20,330 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Chemical Engineers
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory, TX | $180,000 | +100% | 13 | 2 |
| Cameron, LA | $162,500 | +80.6% | 20 | 2 |
| Richmond, CA | $134,500 | +49.4% | 22 | 4 |
| Long Beach, CA | $121,000 | +34.4% | 11 | 4 |
| Kansas City, MI | $111,984 | +24.4% | 12 | 5 |
| Fairfax, VA | $111,750 | +24.2% | 10 | 3 |
| San Francisco, CA | $110,000 | +22.2% | 37 | 16 |
| Fremont, CA | $109,700 | +21.9% | 34 | 14 |
| Tonawanda, NE | $108,651 | +20.7% | 21 | 2 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $108,137 | +20.2% | 45 | 11 |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | $106,608 | +18.5% | 16 | 4 |
| BELLAIRE, TX | $106,080 | +17.9% | 17 | 5 |
| Durham, NC | $106,000 | +17.8% | 16 | 7 |
| Bartlesville, OK | $105,924 | +17.7% | 33 | 2 |
| Redwood City, CA | $105,003 | +16.7% | 10 | 8 |
| Spring, TX | $104,600 | +16.2% | 24 | 7 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $104,161 | +15.7% | 40 | 18 |
| Devens, MA | $104,000 | +15.6% | 29 | 8 |
| Hayward, CA | $102,622 | +14% | 12 | 10 |
| Annandale, NJ | $102,346 | +13.7% | 20 | 2 |
| DES PLAINES, IL | $101,585 | +12.9% | 38 | 2 |
| Collegeville, PA | $101,275 | +12.5% | 14 | 5 |
| Tualatin, OR | $101,171 | +12.4% | 10 | 3 |
| NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ | $101,000 | +12.2% | 10 | 4 |
| The Woodlands, TX | $100,204 | +11.3% | 54 | 19 |
| Houston, TX | $100,188 | +11.3% | 1,226 | 255 |
| Baytown, TX | $100,173 | +11.3% | 73 | 9 |
| South San Francisco, CA | $100,105 | +11.2% | 38 | 16 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $100,008 | +11.1% | 31 | 7 |
| DALLAS, TX | $100,000 | +11.1% | 13 | 9 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $192,000 | +80.5% | 1 |
| District of Columbia | $111,114 | N/A | 3 |
| Texas | $98,984 | -26.8% | 1,896 |
| Louisiana | $98,072 | -25.2% | 143 |
| Idaho | $95,077 | -11.1% | 89 |
| Nebraska | $94,037 | -10.9% | 189 |
| Hawaii | $93,298 | N/A | 7 |
| California | $92,000 | N/A | 941 |
| Minnesota | $91,024 | -20.2% | 138 |
| Maryland | $90,000 | -30.6% | 70 |
| Nevada | $89,086 | +13.9% | 15 |
| Massachusetts | $89,003 | -25.4% | 461 |
| Illinois | $86,174 | -28.4% | 294 |
| New York | $86,125 | -35% | 286 |
| Pennsylvania | $86,000 | -19.7% | 243 |
| Michigan | $85,692 | -19.7% | 212 |
| New Jersey | $85,384 | -27.9% | 252 |
| Rhode Island | $85,182 | -7.2% | 12 |
| Missouri | $84,186 | -16.7% | 84 |
| New Hampshire | $83,790 | N/A | 11 |
| Kansas | $83,780 | -21.9% | 37 |
| Delaware | $83,512 | -36.4% | 23 |
| Vermont | $83,209 | N/A | 6 |
| Iowa | $83,179 | -17.7% | 41 |
| West Virginia | $83,000 | -40.6% | 38 |
| Oklahoma | $82,851 | -48.5% | 138 |
| Oregon | $82,000 | -29.2% | 29 |
| Virginia | $81,852 | -38.3% | 106 |
| Arkansas | $80,808 | -18.4% | 47 |
| Ohio | $80,750 | -29.9% | 202 |
| Utah | $80,624 | -0.2% | 55 |
| North Carolina | $80,000 | -27.2% | 122 |
| Connecticut | $79,778 | -20.2% | 52 |
| New Mexico | $79,706 | -45.9% | 21 |
| Kentucky | $79,000 | -29.7% | 40 |
| Indiana | $78,225 | -32.3% | 187 |
| Alabama | $77,823 | -24.9% | 42 |
| Tennessee | $77,611 | -29.5% | 54 |
| Maine | $77,542 | N/A | 4 |
| Washington | $76,000 | -41.9% | 89 |
| Wisconsin | $75,442 | -18.5% | 84 |
| Arizona | $74,357 | -40.5% | 36 |
| North Dakota | $72,965 | -43% | 8 |
| Florida | $70,700 | -32% | 92 |
| South Carolina | $70,000 | -33.1% | 41 |
| Colorado | $69,014 | -47.6% | 103 |
| Mississippi | $68,303 | -33.3% | 18 |
| Georgia | $67,762 | -33.8% | 127 |
| Wyoming | $52,000 | N/A | 17 |
| Montana | $51,500 | -49% | 3 |
| South Dakota | $47,476 | N/A | 1 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Chemical Engineers positions, 40% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 48% required a Master's degree, and 1% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Micron Technology, Inc. | Master's | $93,000 |
| Technip USA, Inc. | Master's | $107,000 |
| Praxair, Inc. | Doctorate | $94,500 |
| CB&I | Bachelor's | $91,500 |
| KBR, Inc | Not specified | $92,644 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Not specified | $42,224 |
| Fluor Enterprises, Inc. | Bachelor's | $91,325 |
| WORLEYPARSONS GROUP INC | Not specified | $107,390 |
| Phillips 66 Company | Doctorate | $99,611 |
| The Dow Chemical Company | Doctorate | $94,619 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Chemical Engineers is Transportation and Warehousing at $153,182. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $51,694.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 10,942 DOL filings, the median salary for a Chemical Engineers is $90,000, ranging from $74,568 to $106,505.
The 90th percentile salary is $182,150 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, Gregory, TX offers the highest median at $180,000.
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Chemical Engineers positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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