upper level job

Chemical Engineering Manager Salary in the United States

How much does a Chemical Engineering Manager make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chemical Engineering Manager in the United States is $148,064 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $71.

However, a Chemical Engineering Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $173,536
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $144,741 to $161,397
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $141,716
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI Onboarding
Recruit with AI
View as table View as graph 25% $144,741 10% $141,716 90% $173,536 75% $161,397 $148,064 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Chemical Engineering Manager Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $161,397 $13,450 $3,104 $78
Average $148,064 $12,339 $2,847 $71
25th Percentile $144,741 $12,062 $2,783 $70
Check out Chemical Engineering Manager Job Openings in the United States
Engineering Manager

Gentis Solutions - Middletown, OH

Engineering Project Manager

Standard Technologies - Fremont, OH

Manager Refrigeration Engineering

Thermo Fisher Scientific - Marietta, OH

Software Engineering Manager

CHAMP - Cleveland, OH

Search More Chemical Engineering Manager Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Chemical Engineering Manager Salaries

A Chemical Engineering Manager's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Chemical Engineering Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Chemical Engineering Manager's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Chemical Engineer IV (7+ years): $138,329
  • Chemical Engineer V (7-10 years): $164,817
  • Chemical Engineer VI (10-12 years): $190,152
  • Chemical Engineering Manager (12+ years): $148,064
  • Chemical Engineering Director (12+ years): $201,456
Job Role Years of Experience Average Salary
Chemical Engineer IV7+ years$138,329
Chemical Engineer V7-10 years$164,817
Chemical Engineer VI10-12 years$190,152
Chemical Engineering Manager12+ years$148,064
Chemical Engineering Director12+ years$201,456
$138,329 Chemical ...
$164,817 Chemical ...
$190,152 Chemical ...
$148,064 Chemical ...
$201,456 Chemical ...
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Chemical Engineering Managers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $186,753
  • San Francisco: $184,917
  • Oakland: $180,816

What Skills Can Increase a Chemical Engineering Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 7.04% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Customer Satisfaction (Mentioned in 2.82% Job Postings): Customer satisfaction (often abbreviated as CSAT, more correctly CSat) is a term frequently used in marketing. It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as "the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals." The Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) endorses the definitions, purposes, and constructs of classes of measures that appear in Marketing Metrics as part of its ongoing Common Language in Marketing Project. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 71 percent responded that they found a customer satisfaction metric very useful in managing and monitoring their businesses. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business and is often part of a Balanced Scorecard. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.
  • Process Manufacturing (Mentioned in 2.82% Job Postings): Process manufacturing is a branch of manufacturing that is associated with formulas and manufacturing recipes, and can be contrasted with discrete manufacturing, which is concerned with discrete units, bills of materials and the assembly of components. Process manufacturing is common in the food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, consumer packaged goods, cannabis, and biotechnology industries. In process manufacturing, the relevant factors are ingredients, not parts; formulas, not bills of materials; and bulk materials rather than individual units. Although there is invariably cross-over between the two branches of manufacturing, the major contents of the finished product and the majority of the resource intensity of the production process generally allow manufacturing systems to be classified as one or the other. For example, a bottle of juice is a discrete item, but juice is process manufactured. The plastic used in injection moulding is process manufactured, but the components it is shaped into are generally discrete, and subject to further assembly.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 7.04%
Customer Satisfaction 2.82%
Process Manufacturing 2.82%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Chemical Engineering Manager's salary.
  • Customer Satisfaction: Can increase your salary by up to 30%.
  • Resource Allocation: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
  • New Product Development: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Customer Satisfaction
$192,483
30%
Resource Allocation
$180,638
22%
New Product Development
$177,677
20%
Career Development
$177,677
20%
Process Engineering
$164,351
11%
Intellectual Property
$162,870
10%
Get Latest Data

Chemical Engineering Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Chemical Engineering Manager's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on April 01, 2026

Chemical Engineering Manager Salary Growth & Career Path

For a Chemical Engineering Manager, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Chemical Engineering Director role. This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to $201,456 - a projected growth of 36% over your current level.

Salary Trends for Chemical Engineering Manager

Salaries for a Chemical Engineering Manager can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $149,110 in 2023 to around $140,845 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Chemical Engineering Manager salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Chemical Engineering Manager Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$149,110
2024
$145,139
2025
$140,845
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $149,110
2024 $145,139
2025 $140,845
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Chemical Engineering Manager

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Chemical Engineering Manager

Here are companies hiring for Chemical Engineering Manager and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Chemical Engineering Manager Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Chemical Engineering Manager job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

FAQ about Chemical Engineering Manager

1. Where can a Chemical Engineering Manager earn the most?

A Chemical Engineering Manager's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Chemical Engineering Manager earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Chemical Engineering Manager is $186,753.

2. What is the highest pay for Chemical Engineering Manager?

The highest pay for Chemical Engineering Manager is $173,536.

3. What is the lowest pay for Chemical Engineering Manager?

The lowest pay for Chemical Engineering Manager is $141,716.

4. What are the responsibilities of Chemical Engineering Manager?

Manages research and development efforts to study the chemical reactions and properties of materials used for new products, product optimization, and innovation. Leads research studies, experimentation, and testing to evaluate and analyze the materials, processes, and protocols required for product development and manufacturing. Develops and optimizes manufacturing procedures and processes that follow best practices. Establishes rigorous engineering-based methodologies used for analysis and process development. Ensures all operations follow environmental, safety, regulatory and quality regulations. Typically requires a master's degree in chemical engineering. Typically reports to a director. Manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs. True first level manager. Ensures that project/department milestones/goals are met and adhering to approved budgets. Has full authority for personnel actions. Typically requires 5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. 1 - 3 years supervisory experience may be required. Extensive knowledge of the function and department processes.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst
lower level job