Salary guide, May 2025
Metallurgist / Metallurgical 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 Materials Engineers in the United States was $112,860 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $88,080 and $142,720.
Also searched as: Foundry Metallurgist, Heat Treat Engineer. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2131 Materials Engineers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $72,300 | $88,080 | $112,860 | $142,720 | $175,720 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $34.76 | $42.35 | $54.26 | $68.61 | $84.48 |
BLS estimated 22,770 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2131 Materials 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 | $96,740 | $75,960 to $126,280 | 130 | 0.32 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $100,850 | $81,910 to $123,550 | 110 | 0.54 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $138,430 | $118,830 to $138,430 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $104,310 | $86,400 to $128,040 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $147,490 | $104,820 to $162,770 | 330 | 0.23 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $147,490 | $104,820 to $162,770 | 330 | 0.23 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $117,700 | $100,310 to $161,940 | 440 | 0.74 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $99,590 | $76,220 to $136,520 | 250 | 0.38 |
Rank every metro for Metallurgist / Metallurgical 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. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$125,190
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$114,970
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$114,100
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$113,070
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$105,140
- Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$105,000
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$103,650
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$101,290
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$99,860
- Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$98,090
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$95,830
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (NAICS 332000)$95,060
- Textile Mills (NAICS 313000)$91,550
- Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (NAICS 337000)$83,560
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$49,120
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 11,400 | $86,640 | $107,440 | $137,130 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 4,130 | $96,960 | $125,190 | $156,130 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 2,920 | $107,440 | $132,390 | $163,250 |
| 331000 · 3-digit | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 1,510 | $75,910 | $95,830 | $116,460 |
| 334000 · 3-digit | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 1,380 | $94,970 | $114,970 | $143,860 |
| 333000 · 3-digit | Machinery Manufacturing | 860 | $85,030 | $105,000 | $133,720 |
| 332000 · 3-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 780 | $76,050 | $95,060 | $125,820 |
| 334400 · 4-digit | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 700 | $94,920 | $110,620 | $138,490 |
| 326000 · 3-digit | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 610 | $81,640 | $101,290 | $123,840 |
| 331100 · 4-digit | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 590 | $76,250 | $100,080 | $132,890 |
| 334500 · 4-digit | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 570 | $103,530 | $127,190 | $164,370 |
| 339000 · 3-digit | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 560 | $83,310 | $103,650 | $130,380 |
| 3330A1 · 4-digit | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 550 | $87,610 | $108,930 | $133,720 |
| 336300 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 510 | $75,480 | $86,370 | $106,920 |
| 331400 · 4-digit | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 460 | $73,750 | $82,720 | $112,140 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 440 | $95,300 | $113,070 | $139,320 |
| 335000 · 3-digit | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 430 | $85,990 | $99,860 | $134,110 |
| 339100 · 4-digit | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 410 | $82,690 | $103,650 | $130,060 |
| 335900 · 4-digit | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 360 | $85,990 | $98,940 | $135,190 |
| 3320A1 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 350 | $82,190 | $103,040 | $129,570 |
| 326100 · 4-digit | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 340 | $79,520 | $96,820 | $115,900 |
| 336100 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 340 | $85,950 | $106,510 | $131,460 |
| 326200 · 4-digit | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 270 | $86,740 | $103,190 | $126,930 |
| 327000 · 3-digit | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 250 | $92,940 | $114,100 | $133,630 |
| 3250A1 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 240 | $93,950 | $118,460 | $147,760 |
| 3320A2 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 210 | $78,910 | $94,990 | $108,230 |
| 331300 · 4-digit | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 170 | $79,270 | $97,610 | $99,640 |
| 331500 · 4-digit | Foundries | 170 | $71,400 | $90,210 | $112,280 |
| 339900 · 4-digit | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 150 | $83,310 | $107,480 | $142,940 |
| 3250A2 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 140 | $97,730 | $102,570 | $123,030 |
| 322000 · 3-digit | Paper Manufacturing | 130 | $92,160 | $98,090 | $125,170 |
| 331200 · 4-digit | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 130 | $87,770 | $99,860 | $122,670 |
| 332800 · 4-digit | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 130 | $65,140 | $76,130 | $111,600 |
| 324000 · 3-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 110 | $72,140 | $105,140 | $135,670 |
| 324100 · 4-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 110 | $72,140 | $105,140 | $135,670 |
| 333300 · 4-digit | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 110 | $81,740 | $98,390 | $105,000 |
| 333600 · 4-digit | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 110 | $91,640 | $128,860 | $138,660 |
| 334100 · 4-digit | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 110 | $65,760 | $67,090 | $84,640 |
| 333500 · 4-digit | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 100 | $73,080 | $83,090 | $111,380 |
| 322200 · 4-digit | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 90 | $98,090 | $98,090 | $105,850 |
| 332700 · 4-digit | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 80 | $69,990 | $79,520 | $99,600 |
| 325400 · 4-digit | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 60 | $104,110 | $130,090 | $137,190 |
| 335300 · 4-digit | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 60 | $95,570 | $101,230 | $116,960 |
| 313000 · 3-digit | Textile Mills | 50 | $78,060 | $91,550 | $113,070 |
| 332720 · 5-digit | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 50 | $73,860 | $78,890 | $111,040 |
| 337000 · 3-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 50 | $66,930 | $83,560 | $89,810 |
| 3370A1 · 4-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 50 | $66,930 | $75,690 | $88,120 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 40 | $49,050 | $49,120 | $102,170 |
| 322100 · 4-digit | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 40 | $83,500 | $94,580 | $186,230 |
| 336900 · 4-digit | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 40 | $59,720 | $76,640 | $92,470 |
| 313200 · 4-digit | Fabric Mills | 30 | $83,640 | $105,050 | $135,990 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
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 | $85,820 | $108,310 | $138,370 |
| May 2025 | $88,080 | $112,860 | $142,720 |
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 heat treat discipline and CQI-9?
For heat treat roles we ask about pyrometry: system accuracy tests, temperature uniformity surveys, thermocouple replacement cycles and instrument calibration. Candidates who have passed CQI-9 process audits can describe how they handled a failed survey. Those who have only heard of the standard usually cannot.
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 Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer?
The median annual wage for Materials Engineers in the United States was $112,860 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $88,080 and $142,720. 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 $72,300. 90% earned less than $175,720.
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 Metallurgist / Metallurgical 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 22,770 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
Metallurgists are vital to manufacturing success, particularly in heat treatment, casting, and aerospace compliance. BLS categorizes them within the Materials Engineers (SOC 17-2131) occupation. The national median salary stands at $112,860 per year. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $112,860; the May 2024 median is $108,310.
Their arithmetic difference is $4,550. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The middle band width is $54,640, as the P25 is $88,080 and the P75 is $142,720. This span reflects the difference between general engineering duties and highly specialized work in failure analysis or NADCAP compliance.
National industry medians provide key context. Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing shows a median of $132,390. Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing stands at $130,090. Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing reflects a median of $128,860. These figures demonstrate that companies in these high-precision sectors prioritize metallurgical rigor. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded.
Regional variations are important to consider when recruiting. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $112,860; the May 2024 median is $108,310. Their arithmetic difference is $4,550. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, shows a median of $111,480 with a change of $3170. Los Angeles has a higher median, likely influenced by the high density of aerospace manufacturing in the region. The location quotient for Boston is 2.58, indicating a high employment density that is distinct from the concentration in Los Angeles. Hiring managers should avoid interpreting the location quotient as a gauge of candidate availability. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Aerospace manufacturing requires rigorous compliance and failure analysis standards. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $88,080 to $142,720 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity.
Does BLS data distinguish between a materials engineer and a metallurgist?
The BLS uses a single SOC code (17-2131) for both titles. Hiring managers must differentiate between these roles based on job duties like casting, forging, or heat treat experience.
Why is the aerospace industry median higher than the national median?
Aerospace manufacturing requires rigorous compliance and failure analysis standards. For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $88,080 to $142,720 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.
What should I look for in the middle band width?
For Metallurgist / Metallurgical Engineer in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $88,080 to $142,720 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.
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