2023 AIChE Salary Survey Results

Welcome to the 2023 AIChE Salary Survey! This is the 11th edition of the biennial Salary Survey conducted by CEP for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The survey was deployed in December 2022, after a time of great disruption for the U.S. workforce driven by social change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs of living. This ongoing movement, known as the “Great Resignation,” saw millions of Americans resigning from their jobs in search of higher wages, flexible remote work policies, and a better work-life balance. As a result, a key focus of this year’s Salary Survey is this movement and how it has impacted the chemical engineering community.

Unlike previous years, the 2023 Salary Survey was open both to AIChE members and other chemical engineers. The survey garnered a total of 1,122 responses, and salary data was collected only from respondents who met certain criteria (e.g., full-time employment, with a background in chemical engineering or a related discipline). A brief review of our survey methodology can be found on page 31.

The survey found that the overall median salary of chemical engineers is $150,000, an 8.3% increase from the median salary of $138,500 reported in the 2021 Salary Survey (not accounting for inflation). In comparison, the 2021 Salary Survey reported a 9.92% increase from the median salary reported in 2019, as shown in Figure 1.

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▲FIGURE 1. MEDIAN SALARY COMPARED TO DATA COLLECTED FROM PREVIOUS AIChE SALARY SURVEYS

Similarly, the median starting salary for new graduates increased to $74,500. This is a 6.43% increase from the median starting salary of $70,000 reported in the 2021 Salary Survey...