Headline risk
8%
Low RiskChemical engineers
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Task evidence
94% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 121,860
Employment 2024
21.6K
Projected Change (2024–34)
2.6%
Openings (2024–34)
1.1K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of chemical engineers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions. AI use: 0%
- 2. Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes. AI use: 0%
- 3. Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations. AI use: 0%
- 4. Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments. AI use: 0%
- 5. Design and plan layout of equipment. AI use: 0%
- 6. Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 38.1 · 85K employed
Under 25: 12% · 25–54: 67% · 55+: 22%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, physics, and engineering to design equipment and processes for manufacturing products such as gasoline, detergents, and paper.
Chemical engineers typically work in an office setting or in laboratories. Most chemical engineers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.
To enter the occupation, chemical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or a related field. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have gained experience in an internship or a cooperative education program.
The median annual wage for chemical engineers was $121,860 in May 2024.
Employment of chemical engineers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.