Materials Engineers Salary
The median pay for a materials engineers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $96,730/year ($46.51/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $67K at the entry level to $167K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.07), that's roughly $98,634 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,852/month, or 28.6% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $97K get you in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos’s Regional Price Parity (98.07). 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 materials engineers
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What this looks like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Pay for materials engineers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $113K. Rent runs $1,852/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.07) 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 materials engineers in metros near Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $123K | $125K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $118K | $114K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $83K | $87K |
| Oklahoma City | $96K | $106K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Entry-level materials engineers (10th percentile) start around $67K. Mid-career wages sit at $97K. Top earners bring in $167K or more, a $100K spread from bottom to top.
Materials Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Materials Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $166K | +47% | 450 |
| Maryland | $141K | +25% | 740 |
| Washington | $140K | +24% | 1,000 |
| Delaware | $131K | +16% | 40 |
| Louisiana | $129K | +14% | 90 |
| California | $128K | +14% | 3,020 |
| Illinois | $127K | +12% | 290 |
| New York | $126K | +12% | 590 |
| Colorado | $124K | +10% | 810 |
| Alaska | $123K | +9% | 70 |
| Oregon | $123K | +9% | 120 |
| Connecticut | $122K | +8% | 420 |
| South Carolina | $122K | +8% | 600 |
| Florida | $119K | +5% | 690 |
| Texas | $118K | +4% | 1,440 |
| Virginia | $117K | +3% | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $114K | +1% | 1,360 |
| Wyoming | $111K | -2% | 40 |
| Alabama | $108K | -5% | 650 |
| New Jersey | $107K | -5% | 260 |
| Arizona | $107K | -5% | 580 |
| Ohio | $107K | -6% | 1,790 |
| Minnesota | $106K | -6% | 150 |
| Idaho | $106K | -6% | 90 |
| North Carolina | $104K | -8% | 640 |
| Arkansas | $104K | -8% | 90 |
| New Hampshire | $101K | -10% | 70 |
| Indiana | $101K | -10% | 570 |
| Georgia | $101K | -11% | 700 |
| Kentucky | $101K | -11% | 280 |
| Kansas | $100K | -11% | 270 |
| Oklahoma | $100K | -11% | 240 |
| Nevada | $99K | -12% | 100 |
| Missouri | $99K | -12% | 300 |
| Nebraska | $98K | -13% | 160 |
| Pennsylvania | $98K | -13% | 720 |
| Maine | $97K | -14% | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $96K | -15% | 280 |
| Michigan | $94K | -17% | 810 |
| Tennessee | $92K | -19% | 330 |
| Utah | $88K | -22% | 460 |
| Rhode Island | $87K | -23% | 50 |
| Mississippi | $79K | -30% | 100 |
| Montana | $76K | -33% | 90 |
| Iowa | $64K | -43% | 200 |
Showing 1–10 of 45 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track materials engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Frequently asked questions
Can a materials engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Yes — at the median salary of $97K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,852/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for materials engineers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new materials engineers typically earn — is $67K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,007/month. At HUD’s $1,852/month FMR, rent would take 46% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is materials engineer a high-paying job in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $97K here vs. $113K nationally.
How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compare to the national average for materials engineers?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos pays $97K median vs. the U.S. average of $113K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $99K — below the national median.
How much do materials engineers make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The median is $96,730 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $66,780, and experienced materials engineers can clear $166,780. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $97K enough to live in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,370/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,852/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a materials engineers salary go in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has a Regional Price Parity of 98.07 (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 materials engineers salary is worth about $98,634 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do materials 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.