Salary guide, May 2025
Injection Molding Process Engineer pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Chemical Engineers in the United States was $125,040 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $97,820 and $157,190.
Also searched as: Molding Process Engineer, Molding Manager. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2041 Chemical Engineers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $79,420 | $97,820 | $125,040 | $157,190 | $182,880 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38.19 | $47.03 | $60.12 | $75.57 | $87.92 |
BLS estimated 21,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2041 Chemical Engineers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $111,980 | $95,980 to $115,600 | 50 | 0.13 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $110,000 | $101,040 to $130,840 | 30 | 0.16 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $111,210 | $94,460 to $146,210 | 90 | 0.85 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $126,830 | $95,480 to $149,210 | 510 | 0.39 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $126,830 | $95,480 to $149,210 | 510 | 0.39 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $130,520 | $105,060 to $168,960 | 130 | 0.24 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $110,760 | $94,170 to $139,520 | 370 | 0.6 |
Rank every metro for Injection Molding Process Engineer
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels.
- Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)$162,500
- Machinery Manufacturing$147,960
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$136,810
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$136,810
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$136,380
- Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing$133,740
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing$128,530
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing$127,770
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing$126,610
- Manufacturing$122,740
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$115,520
- Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$114,470
- Chemical Manufacturing$112,300
- Paper Manufacturing$111,050
- Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities$110,790
Bars show up to 15 industries with exact annual medians. The table lists every published industry.
| NAICS | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 | Manufacturing | 10,860 | $99,130 | $122,740 | $151,520 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 6,060 | $97,730 | $112,300 | $134,740 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 4,550 | $98,090 | $115,520 | $138,620 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 1,350 | $131,230 | $147,960 | $168,170 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 1,150 | $96,400 | $106,140 | $122,040 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 1,140 | $134,210 | $162,500 | $168,170 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 1,020 | $122,840 | $136,810 | $173,580 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 1,020 | $122,840 | $136,810 | $173,580 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 790 | $102,320 | $127,770 | $161,350 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 610 | $100,620 | $136,380 | $136,700 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 500 | $102,320 | $128,530 | $159,510 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 360 | $96,770 | $107,960 | $130,380 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 250 | $103,660 | $126,610 | $152,260 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 200 | $79,850 | $100,200 | $127,330 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 190 | $74,970 | $102,170 | $129,320 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 160 | $80,940 | $100,200 | $130,010 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 150 | $78,510 | $96,270 | $165,210 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 130 | $127,890 | $133,740 | $133,740 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 120 | $89,450 | $111,050 | $143,040 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 120 | $79,800 | $100,190 | $134,230 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 120 | $79,800 | $100,190 | $134,230 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 110 | $78,850 | $91,860 | $103,630 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 110 | $84,750 | $102,730 | $143,760 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 100 | $89,450 | $114,470 | $159,850 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 100 | $95,010 | $110,790 | $185,500 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 80 | $80,100 | $89,070 | $102,890 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 80 | $109,190 | $110,490 | $121,750 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 70 | $81,680 | $107,160 | $143,800 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 60 | $81,810 | $89,070 | $106,620 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 60 | $72,940 | $82,200 | $102,590 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 50 | $83,310 | $92,050 | $103,410 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 40 | $72,490 | $96,970 | $113,690 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 40 | $79,020 | $102,890 | $109,980 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 40 | $79,020 | $102,890 | $109,980 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 40 | $89,530 | $101,780 | $112,510 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 30 | $81,620 | $95,630 | $107,650 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 30 | $67,420 | $103,030 | $107,530 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Injection Molding Process Engineer, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. OEWS includes base rate, guaranteed pay and production incentive pay. It excludes overtime premium, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure.
Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $96,040 | $121,860 | $152,290 |
| May 2025 | $97,820 | $125,040 | $157,190 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about resin knowledge?
Drying, moisture sensitivity, regrind limits and colorant behavior vary by resin family. We ask which families the candidate has run (commodity, engineering, glass-filled, flame-retardant, medical grade) and what failed when something was handled badly. A candidate who has fought hygroscopic material knows what lazy drying costs.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Injection Molding Process Engineer?
The median annual wage for Chemical Engineers in the United States was $125,040 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $97,820 and $157,190. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $79,420. 90% earned less than $182,880.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Injection Molding Process Engineer at a plant?
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 21,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
Injection Molding Process Engineers are essential for maintaining production quality in manufacturing. BLS tracks this role under the Chemical Engineers (SOC 17-2041) category, reflecting its focus on material and process science. The national median is $125,040 annually. This represents a median change of $3180 over the previous median of $121,860.
This wide band underscores the value of hands-on process expertise, particularly for those with RJG Master Molder certification or medical-grade molding experience.
National manufacturing industries pay differently for this broad chemical engineering role. Machinery Manufacturing (select codes) reports a high median of $162,500. General Machinery Manufacturing is at $147,960, and Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing is at $136,810. These figures show that specialized, high-capital-cost manufacturing industries often pay well above the national median for process engineers. Hiring managers should recognize that these figures are general and exclude performance bonuses or shift-differential incentives that are standard in molding environments. Manufacturing Headhunters notes that these averages provide a necessary baseline for budgetary planning but do not capture the premium paid for specific resin knowledge or complex die-set expertise.
Regional employment hubs show unique trends for this occupation. The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, area reports a median of $138,120, though it shows a negative median change of $14,170. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, lists a median of $109,460 with a median change of $12,730. The volatility in median change in these regions should serve as a caution to hiring managers; these figures reflect a snapshot of employment shifts rather than a steady salary decline. The location quotient of 3.4 in Houston is remarkably high, showing a strong concentration of chemical engineering roles. Managers should interpret this as a mark of the area's industrial density, not a measure of potential candidate availability. Tailoring an offer requires balancing these market medians against the specific molding technology requirements in your facility.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Why does BLS classify this as a chemical engineering role?
The BLS uses a broader occupation classification system. Because injection molding involves polymer science, it is often grouped under the Chemical Engineers (SOC 17-2041) title.
How do I account for the high Houston median?
Houston's high median reflects its specific industrial focus. When hiring in different regions, benchmark against your local industrial baseline rather than a single major city's median.
What are the limitations of the P75 salary for process engineers?
The $157,190 P75 figure represents a broad base salary snapshot. It does not account for specific process-expert incentives like those for RJG-certified molders, which may be additional.
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