Chemical Engineers Salary
Chemical Engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $138,120 a year, or about $66.4 an hour. The range runs from $100K at the entry level to $217K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $140,039 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 17.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $138K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About chemical engineers
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Chemical engineers pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $138K locally vs. $125K nationwide, a 10% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 18% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chemical engineers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $130K | $144K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $131K | $127K |
| Corpus Christi | $127K | $137K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $130K | $132K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level chemical engineers (10th percentile) start around $100K. Mid-career wages sit at $138K. Top earners bring in $217K or more, a $117K spread from bottom to top.
Chemical Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chemical Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $158K | +27% | 160 |
| Virginia | $136K | +9% | 790 |
| Alabama | $135K | +8% | 600 |
| Louisiana | $135K | +8% | 730 |
| Delaware | $134K | +7% | 370 |
| Texas | $133K | +6% | 2,610 |
| West Virginia | $129K | +3% | 160 |
| New York | $129K | +3% | 540 |
| Washington | $128K | +3% | 650 |
| Oklahoma | $128K | +2% | 110 |
| Montana | $127K | +2% | 80 |
| Maryland | $127K | +2% | 500 |
| New Jersey | $127K | +1% | 440 |
| Colorado | $126K | +1% | 720 |
| Illinois | $122K | -3% | 520 |
| Massachusetts | $118K | -6% | 1,460 |
| Iowa | $118K | -6% | 40 |
| North Carolina | $117K | -6% | 380 |
| Kentucky | $117K | -6% | 190 |
| Pennsylvania | $117K | -6% | 810 |
| Oregon | $117K | -6% | 140 |
| North Dakota | $115K | -8% | 80 |
| Indiana | $113K | -10% | 720 |
| Rhode Island | $112K | -11% | 50 |
| Ohio | $111K | -11% | 1,030 |
| Florida | $109K | -13% | 230 |
| Minnesota | $108K | -14% | 210 |
| Mississippi | $107K | -15% | 150 |
| Idaho | $107K | -15% | 140 |
| Alaska | $106K | -15% | N/A |
| Arkansas | $105K | -16% | 290 |
| Georgia | $104K | -17% | 330 |
| Michigan | $103K | -17% | 670 |
| Missouri | $102K | -18% | 320 |
| Connecticut | $102K | -18% | 410 |
| Kansas | $102K | -18% | 280 |
| South Carolina | $102K | -19% | 390 |
| Nebraska | $98K | -21% | 130 |
| Wisconsin | $98K | -22% | 110 |
| Utah | $86K | -32% | N/A |
| New Hampshire | $73K | -41% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track chemical engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Frequently asked questions
Can a chemical engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $138K, rent takes 18% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for chemical engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chemical engineers typically earn — is $100K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,993/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 26% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is chemical engineer a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $138K locally vs. $125K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for chemical engineers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $138K median vs. the U.S. average of $125K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $140K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do chemical engineers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $138,120 a year, that works out to about $66 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $99,890, and experienced chemical engineers can clear $217,260. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $138K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,763/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 18% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a chemical engineers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median chemical engineers salary is worth about $140,039 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chemical engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.