Materials Engineers Salary
The median pay for a materials engineers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN is $127,230/year ($61.17/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $77K at the entry level to $129K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.7), that's roughly $132,947 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,473/month, or 18.7% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $127K actually covers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.7). 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood sits well above the national pay line for materials engineers, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $113K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,473/month, 18.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.7) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood offers a genuinely strong financial position for materials engineers at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for materials engineers in metros near Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne | $100K | $108K |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette | $85K | $91K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $100K | $100K |
| Cincinnati | $128K | $134K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Entry-level materials engineers (10th percentile) start around $77K. Mid-career wages sit at $127K. Top earners bring in $129K or more, a $52K 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 annually. We'll email you when Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a materials engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Yes — at the median salary of $127K, rent takes 18.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,473/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for materials engineers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new materials engineers typically earn — is $77K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,028/month. At HUD’s $1,473/month FMR, rent would take 29% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is materials engineer a high-paying job in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $127K here vs. $113K nationally.
How does Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood compare to the national average for materials engineers?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood pays $127K median vs. the U.S. average of $113K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $133K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do materials engineers make in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?
The median is $127,230 a year, that works out to about $61 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $77,190, and experienced materials engineers can clear $128,820. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $127K enough to live in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,820/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,473/month, which eats 18.8% 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.7 (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 $132,947 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.