# Chemical Engineers

US SOC code 17-2041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/17-2041

Also called: Process development engineer, Chemical process engineer, Pharmaceutical manufacturing engineer, Bioprocess engineer, Refinery engineer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **21,070** US chemical engineers, with median pay of **$125,040** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **33,500**, in May 2017. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-first-century-of-chemical-engineering/) of **500** from 1908, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for chemical engineers: Pharmaceutical and biotechnology process engineering, 2000 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=17-2041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **34.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Chemical Engineers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1888
- Latest US employment: 21,070 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $125,040 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [12]
- Outlook: +4.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [30]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 21320)
  - Employment, 2020: 11,310. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 21320 Chemical engineers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$104,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [16]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 21320 Chemical engineers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1908 | 500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Science History Institute [1] |
| 1944 | 15,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US BLS [2] |
| 1960 | 45,000 | $8,400 (estimate) | Decennial Census 1970 (employment) [3]; Est., NACE (pay) [10] |
| 1980 | 58,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Pafko [4] |
| 1999 | 28,630 | $66,220 | BLS OEWS 1999 [5] |
| 2003 | 32,490 | $73,750 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 30,320 | $76,770 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 27,550 | $77,140 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 29,060 | $78,860 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 28,780 | $81,500 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 30,970 | $84,680 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 29,000 | $88,280 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 28,720 | $90,300 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 27,860 | $92,930 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 32,190 | $94,350 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 33,300 | $95,730 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 33,470 | $96,940 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 32,230 | $97,360 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 31,990 | $98,340 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 33,500 | $102,160 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 32,060 | $104,910 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 30,120 | $108,770 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 25,770 | $108,540 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 24,180 | $105,550 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 20,380 | $106,260 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 21,140 | $112,100 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 20,330 | $121,860 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 21,070 | $125,040 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (98)

### Employment series

1. [Science History Institute -- "The First Century of Chemical Engineering" (AIChE founding, ~500 ChemEs in factories by 1908)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-first-century-of-chemical-engineering/), Science History Institute
2. [US BLS -- "Factors Affecting Earnings in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering" (BLS Bulletin 881, 1946): wartime ChemE workforce expansion](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_0881_1946.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRASER
3. [US Census Bureau -- Persons in Engineering, Scientific, and Technical Occupations: 1970 and 1972 (Census P-23, No. 45): ChemE workforce trajectory reference](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1973/demo/p23-045.html), US Census Bureau
4. [Pafko, "History of Chemical Engineering: Engineering and Technical Populations" (compiled from US Census Bureau, Historical/Statistical Abstract)](http://www.pafko.com/history/h_wage.html), Pafko (secondary compilation of US Census Bureau data)
5. [BLS OES 1999 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes99nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

10. [NACE -- "Salary Trends Through Salary Survey: A Historical Perspective on Starting Salaries for New College Graduates" (1960 ChemE starting salary $6,600)](https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/compensation/salary-trends-through-salary-survey-a-historical-perspective-on-starting-salaries-for-new-college-graduates/), National Association of Colleges and Employers
11. [BLS OES 1999 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes99nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
13. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
16. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

17. [Science History Institute -- "The First Century of Chemical Engineering" (unit operations framework, George Davis 1887, Arthur D. Little 1915)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-first-century-of-chemical-engineering/), Science History Institute
18. [MIT ChemE -- History: "Course X" 1888 and the development of the chemical engineering curriculum](https://cheme.mit.edu/at-a-glance-2/history/), MIT Department of Chemical Engineering
19. [AFPM -- "The refining and petrochemical industries: 170 years of innovation" (catalytic cracking, WWII aviation gasoline, post-war petrochemical expansion)](https://www.afpm.org/newsroom/blog/refining-and-petrochemical-industries-170-years-innovation), American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers
20. [NACE -- "Salary Trends Through Salary Survey" (ChemE graduates: highest starting salaries among all engineering disciplines 1950s-1975)](https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/compensation/salary-trends-through-salary-survey-a-historical-perspective-on-starting-salaries-for-new-college-graduates/), National Association of Colleges and Employers
21. [Wikipedia -- Chemical engineering: "Major disasters reshaped the profession -- Flixborough 1974 (28 deaths), Bhopal 1984 (4,000+ deaths)"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_engineering), Wikipedia
22. [OSHA -- Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119): promulgated 1992 following Bhopal and related process safety incidents](https://www.osha.gov/process-safety-management), Occupational Safety and Health Administration
23. [Aspen Technology -- Company History: AspenTech founded 1981 from MIT ASPEN project; Aspen Plus released 1982](https://www.aspentech.com/en/about-aspentech), Aspen Technology
24. [ChemEngGuy -- "What is Aspen Plus?" (history of Aspen Plus and its role in chemical engineering practice)](https://chemicalengineeringguy.com/the-blog/process-simulation/what-is-aspen-plus/), ChemEngGuy
25. [FDA -- Guidance for Industry: Process Validation -- General Principles and Practices (2011): defining cGMP process engineering requirements for chemical engineers in pharma](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/process-validation-general-principles-and-practices), US Food and Drug Administration
26. [AIChE -- "Entering a New Golden Age of Chemical Engineering" (2012): pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and specialty materials as growth drivers](https://www.aiche.org/chenected/2012/09/entering-new-golden-age-chemical-engineering), American Institute of Chemical Engineers
27. [AspenTech -- Aspen Plus AI and Aspen HYSYS AI: 50-80% simulation setup time reduction at early-adopter sites (AspenWorld 2025)](https://www.aspentech.com/en/products/engineering/aspen-plus), Aspen Technology
28. [BLS OOH -- Chemical Engineers: projected 3% employment growth 2024-2034; strong demand in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and energy transition](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/chemical-engineers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
29. [IBM Research -- RXN for Chemistry: AI reaction-pathway prediction and retrosynthesis (2024-2025 platform)](https://rxn.app.accelerate.science/rxn/), IBM Research

### Forecasts and exposure studies

30. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 17-2041 Chemical engineers (2025: 21.9 thousand; 2035: 22.9 thousand; +4.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=17-2041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
31. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 17-2041.00, human-rated β 0.346)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

32. [MIT ChemE -- History: "Course X" 1888, first graduate William Page Bryant 1891](https://cheme.mit.edu/at-a-glance-2/history/), MIT Department of Chemical Engineering
33. [Science History Institute -- "The First Century of Chemical Engineering": AIChE founded June 22, 1908, Philadelphia, 40 founding members](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-first-century-of-chemical-engineering/), Science History Institute
34. [Science History Institute -- Arthur D. Little, William H. Walker, and Warren K. Lewis: "unit operations" coined 1915 at MIT](https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/arthur-d-little-william-h-walker-and-warren-k-lewis/), Science History Institute
35. [AFPM -- "The refining and petrochemical industries: 170 years of innovation" (FCC, catalytic cracking, WWII aviation gasoline production)](https://www.afpm.org/newsroom/blog/refining-and-petrochemical-industries-170-years-innovation), American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers
36. [Wikipedia -- Chemical engineering: "Flixborough disaster 1974 (28 deaths) led to formal process safety management discipline"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_engineering), Wikipedia
37. [OSHA -- Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119): directly informed by Bhopal and subsequent process safety incidents](https://www.osha.gov/process-safety-management), Occupational Safety and Health Administration
38. [BLS OOH -- Chemical Engineers: CHIPS Act semiconductor expansion as a growth driver for 2024-2034 employment projections](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/chemical-engineers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

39. [Science History Institute -- "The First Century of Chemical Engineering" (industrial chemists became the first chemical engineers)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-first-century-of-chemical-engineering/), Science History Institute
40. [MIT ChemE -- History: Course X combined mechanical engineering with industrial chemistry at its 1888 founding](https://cheme.mit.edu/at-a-glance-2/history/), MIT Department of Chemical Engineering
41. [BLS OOH -- Natural Sciences Managers: median annual wage $162,760 (2024); +8% growth 2024-2034](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/natural-sciences-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Chemical Engineers (17-2041.00): tasks, technology skills, employment](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2041.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS OOH — Chemical Engineers: +8% growth 2024–2034; median annual wage $114,820 (May 2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/chemical-engineers.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AspenTech — Aspen Plus AI and Aspen HYSYS AI: 50–80% simulation setup time reduction at early-adopter sites (AspenWorld 2025)](https://www.aspentech.com/en/products/engineering/aspen-plus), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Honeywell — Honeywell Forge Process AI: real-time autonomous optimization of distillation columns and reactor conditions (2024 product release)](https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/solutions/honeywell-forge), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AspenTech — Seeq (acquired 2022): AI-powered process historian analytics and collaboration (Seeq 2025 platform update)](https://www.aspentech.com/sitecore/service/nolayout.aspx?item=%2ffilenotfound&layout=%7b00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000%7d&device=Default), accessed 2026-05-23
- [IBM Research — RXN for Chemistry: AI reaction-pathway prediction and retrosynthesis for process chemistry R&D (2024–2025)](https://rxn.app.accelerate.science/rxn/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Schrödinger — AI-accelerated molecular simulation and property prediction for specialty chemicals, materials science, and pharmaceutical API development (2025)](https://www.schrodinger.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [OSHA — Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119): Process Hazard Analysis requirements and qualified engineer accountability](https://www.osha.gov/process-safety-management), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AIChE — 2025 Chemical Engineering Workforce and Compensation Survey: demand in pharma/bioprocessing and energy transition (green hydrogen, CCUS)](https://www.aiche.org/resources/publications/cepp/surveys), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Cognite — Cognite Data Fusion AI: industrial data contextualization and process optimization for oil & gas and chemicals (2024–2025)](https://www.cognite.com/en/product/cognite_data_fusion_industrial_dataops_platform), accessed 2026-05-23
- [NVIDIA Modulus — physics-informed neural networks and PDE-based process modeling for engineering simulations (2024 GA release)](https://developer.nvidia.com/physicsnemo), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Chemical Engineering Magazine — AI in process analytics: Seeq and Cognite deployments in refining and petrochemicals (2025)](https://www.chemengonline.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) — AI molecular simulation in drug and materials discovery: Schrödinger, OpenEye, and BioMolecular AI adoption (2025)](https://cen.acs.org/), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.