Which state pays chemical engineering bachelor's graduates the most?

Texas, where the median program pays its graduates $85,322 in their first year, the highest of 7 state rankings. Pennsylvania is next, at $79,602.

Which chemical engineering bachelor's program pays the most?

Rice University in Texas reports the highest first-year pay of the 147 programs ranked here, $87,830. Its median federal debt is $13,178.

How much debt do chemical engineering bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $23,274 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 32% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

147 programs report first-year pay
7 state rankings
Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median chemical engineering bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $73,841 in their first year and $97,933 five years after. Texas has the highest state median ($85,322), and California the lowest ($68,291). The median program leaves its graduates with $23,274 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$73,841Across 147 programs

Median pay after 5 years$97,933Across 141 programs

Median federal debt$23,274Across 142 programs

Debt-to-earnings32%Across 140 programs

All 147 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Rice UniversityHouston, TX · private nonprofit	$87,830	Not adjusted	$117,477	$13,178	15%
2	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$87,365	$90,014	$110,742	$19,844	23%
3	Lamar UniversityBeaumont, TX · public	$87,284	$89,931	$110,515	$20,019	23%
4	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$87,164	Not adjusted	$104,630	$20,050	23%
5	Texas A&MCollege Station, TX · public	$86,176	$88,789	$123,773	$18,135	21%
6	UW-MadisonMadison, WI · public	$85,945	$91,339	$102,023	$21,947	26%
7	Georgia TechAtlanta, GA · public	$85,847	Not adjusted	$101,692	$27,000	31%
8	UVACharlottesville, VA · public	$85,772	$84,835	$115,895	$17,733	21%
9	Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	$85,578	Not adjusted	$118,510	$14,361	17%
10	University of HoustonHouston, TX · public	$84,468	$87,029	$99,077	$20,000	24%
11	UW-Stevens PointStevens Point, WI · public	$84,047	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,565	27%
12	Case WesternCleveland, OH · private nonprofit	$83,706	$90,226	$98,005	$23,250	28%
13	Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit	$83,377	Not adjusted	$113,065	$19,000	23%
14	Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	$82,466	$93,879	$106,170	$25,875	31%
15	Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	$82,435	Not adjusted	$107,647	$27,000	33%
16	Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, IN · private nonprofit	$82,394	Not adjusted	$106,661	$24,500	30%
17	Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA · public	$82,382	Not adjusted	$99,194	$25,350	31%
18	University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	$82,372	$88,788	$92,906	$21,333	26%
19	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$82,218	$84,264	$99,826	$26,831	33%
20	Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · public	$82,217	Not adjusted	$108,040	$23,104	28%
21	Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$81,880	$77,423	$104,660	$27,000	33%
22	University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	$81,777	$77,913	$92,423	$23,250	28%
23	UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$81,721	Not adjusted	$154,695	$20,500	25%
24	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$81,553	$73,657	$126,322	$18,155	22%
25	NC StateRaleigh, NC · public	$81,492	$86,394	$103,529	$22,244	27%
26	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$81,105	Not adjusted	$94,979	$21,500	27%
27	Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	$80,709	Not adjusted	$120,160	$16,500	20%
28	Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, PA · private nonprofit	$80,653	Not adjusted	$110,838	$27,000	33%
29	University of DelawareNewark, DE · public	$80,564	Not adjusted	$94,396	$26,058	32%
30	Michigan TechHoughton, MI · public	$80,193	Not adjusted	$95,207	$24,750	31%
31	MITCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	$80,139	Not adjusted	$124,650	$15,209	19%
32	University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	$79,865	Not adjusted	$99,917	$22,999	29%
33	University of ToledoToledo, OH · public	$79,750	$85,962	$96,237	$25,750	32%
34	UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · public	$79,737	$72,017	$104,039	$14,937	19%
35	VCURichmond, VA · public	$79,721	$78,850	$91,990	$27,000	34%
36	University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE · public	$79,603	$88,347	$89,055	$27,816	35%
37	Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit	$79,602	Not adjusted	$97,678	$17,000	21%
38	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$79,551	Not adjusted	$100,000	$21,250	27%
39	Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, NJ · private nonprofit	$79,339	$72,919	$101,659	$26,686	34%
40	Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA · public	$79,157	Not adjusted	Not reported	$18,342	23%
41	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$79,023	$82,130	$95,843	$26,573	34%
42	University of MaineOrono, ME · public	$78,838	$81,234	$88,680	$20,425	26%
43	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$78,813	$78,283	$101,977	$21,500	27%
44	WPIWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	$78,767	$74,479	$100,777	$27,000	34%
45	Missouri S&TRolla, MO · public	$78,369	$86,293	$89,985	$24,250	31%
46	NC A&TGreensboro, NC · public	$78,323	Not adjusted	$87,314	$26,000	33%
47	RPITroy, NY · private nonprofit	$78,263	Not adjusted	$107,062	$25,332	32%
48	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$78,183	Not adjusted	$104,589	$23,298	30%
49	University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	$77,751	Not adjusted	$90,597	$26,000	33%
50	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$77,586	$79,939	$96,061	$28,000	36%
51	BYUProvo, UT · private nonprofit	$77,565	Not adjusted	$109,703	$13,980	18%
52	Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	$77,542	Not adjusted	$97,829	$20,500	26%
53	Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$77,528	$79,457	$103,291	$30,860	40%
54	Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	$77,492	$86,037	$105,727	$24,750	32%
55	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$77,455	Not adjusted	$97,429	$20,500	26%
56	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$77,440	$77,473	$107,589	$22,850	30%
57	UMass LowellLowell, MA · public	$77,380	$73,168	$100,143	$27,000	35%
58	Ole MissUniversity, MS · public	$76,685	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,750	30%
59	UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	$76,680	$69,256	$105,166	$18,205	24%
60	University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN · public	$76,302	$83,054	$89,398	$22,375	29%
61	Iowa StateAmes, IA · public	$76,184	Not adjusted	$96,097	$20,188	26%
62	Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	$75,951	Not adjusted	$98,731	$21,450	28%
63	University of IdahoMoscow, ID · public	$75,915	Not adjusted	$86,046	$27,000	36%
64	Clarkson UniversityPotsdam, NY · private nonprofit	$75,887	$70,317	$95,129	$27,000	36%
65	New Mexico StateLas Cruces, NM · public	$75,766	Not adjusted	$89,216	$15,000	20%
66	University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC · public	$75,680	$80,726	$99,912	$27,000	36%
67	Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	$75,639	Not adjusted	$105,943	Not reported	Not reported
68	University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	$75,406	$73,725	$89,578	$27,000	36%
69	Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	$75,367	Not adjusted	$115,375	Not reported	Not reported
70	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$75,340	Not adjusted	$90,804	$27,000	36%
71	University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · public	$75,102	Not adjusted	$101,541	$22,750	30%
72	LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	$74,786	$84,785	$111,631	$20,500	27%
73	RITRochester, NY · private nonprofit	$73,984	$68,554	$100,264	$30,750	42%
74	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$73,841	$74,689	$94,911	$22,750	31%
75	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$73,479	$72,985	$95,730	$21,250	29%
76	Manhattan UniversityRiverdale, NY · private nonprofit	$73,333	$67,951	$96,650	$26,503	36%
77	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$73,245	$74,269	$101,125	$25,495	35%
78	University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND · public	$73,112	Not adjusted	$92,442	$26,950	37%
79	University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	$73,072	$74,890	$93,213	$26,548	36%
80	Trine UniversityAngola, IN · private nonprofit	$72,875	Not adjusted	$89,865	$27,000	37%
81	Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	$72,868	$67,520	$100,426	$24,797	34%
82	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	$72,864	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	37%
83	South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City, SD · public	$72,785	Not adjusted	$102,160	$28,000	38%
84	UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public	$72,514	$68,567	$96,939	$27,000	37%
85	Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	$72,379	Not adjusted	$100,946	$27,000	37%
86	University of AkronAkron, OH · public	$71,873	$77,471	$93,451	$23,168	32%
87	Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	$71,618	$69,289	$95,971	$24,750	35%
88	University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	$71,599	$68,736	$100,504	$27,000	38%
89	Kettering UniversityFlint, MI · private nonprofit	$71,411	Not adjusted	Not reported	$29,000	41%
90	Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	$71,373	$74,179	$100,634	$29,900	42%
91	Widener UniversityChester, PA · private nonprofit	$71,160	Not adjusted	$99,021	$27,000	38%
92	University of South AlabamaMobile, AL · public	$71,116	Not adjusted	$88,027	$24,500	34%
93	University of RochesterRochester, NY · private nonprofit	$71,028	Not adjusted	$105,189	$23,000	32%
94	Florida StateTallahassee, FL · public	$70,797	$68,460	$98,253	$25,250	36%
95	University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY · public	$70,675	$78,389	$97,933	$21,500	30%
96	USFTampa, FL · public	$70,659	$68,326	$84,431	$24,500	35%
97	CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	$70,359	Not adjusted	$115,257	$24,500	35%
98	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$69,950	Not adjusted	$91,298	$27,825	40%
99	WVUMorgantown, WV · public	$69,875	Not adjusted	$89,812	$22,843	33%
100	Washington StatePullman, WA · public	$69,820	$65,244	$88,132	$22,500	32%
101	University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL · public	$69,809	Not adjusted	$97,080	$23,003	33%
102	WashUSt. Louis, MO · private nonprofit	$69,801	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,500	28%
103	Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public	$69,609	$75,031	$82,846	$26,545	38%
104	Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	$69,043	$74,421	$84,127	$28,826	42%
105	Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	$69,009	$62,327	$103,640	$21,812	32%
106	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$68,632	$71,330	$83,294	$29,000	42%
107	UC DavisDavis, CA · public	$68,337	$61,721	$109,456	$16,000	23%
108	Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO · public	$68,318	$66,295	$95,781	$27,000	40%
109	UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	$68,245	$61,637	$90,784	$17,413	26%
110	USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$68,234	$61,628	$106,401	$13,000	19%
111	UConnStorrs, CT · public	$68,025	$65,655	$92,965	$25,898	38%
112	University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY · public	$67,873	$62,891	$88,444	$23,161	34%
113	RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	$67,777	$62,292	$97,993	$25,000	37%
114	University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	$67,624	$63,192	$96,353	$19,875	29%
115	City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	$67,450	$62,499	$68,626	$14,125	21%
116	Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · public	$67,322	$72,566	$88,141	$23,250	35%
117	University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN · public	$67,152	$68,091	$90,849	$26,915	40%
118	NJITNewark, NJ · public	$66,617	$61,226	$91,383	$26,437	40%
119	UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	$66,023	$62,904	$98,642	$21,570	33%
120	University of KentuckyLexington, KY · public	$65,389	$72,526	$83,438	$25,308	39%
121	Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$64,526	$64,553	$94,955	$26,747	41%
122	University of Nevada-RenoReno, NV · public	$64,039	$64,052	$86,398	$22,000	34%
123	UL LafayetteLafayette, LA · public	$63,886	$72,427	$101,365	$22,000	34%
124	University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	$63,870	$70,913	$86,557	$20,500	32%
125	University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM · public	$62,907	Not adjusted	$89,830	$20,187	32%
126	Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	$62,468	$60,618	$97,269	$21,240	34%
127	Montana StateBozeman, MT · public	$62,206	Not adjusted	$82,446	$25,130	40%
128	Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public	$61,045	$56,105	Not reported	$23,863	39%
129	University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, AL · public	$60,528	$68,145	Not reported	$27,000	45%
130	NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$60,392	Not adjusted	$104,085	$24,125	40%
131	Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TN · public	$60,300	$65,636	$86,320	$13,500	22%
132	UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	$59,508	$53,746	$97,911	$18,157	31%
133	Prairie View A&M UniversityPrairie View, TX · public	$58,627	$60,405	$92,981	$33,000	56%
134	UICChicago, IL · public	$58,377	$58,402	$90,756	$23,875	41%
135	UT ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN · public	$57,952	Not adjusted	$89,153	Not reported	Not reported
136	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$57,540	$51,969	$102,280	$18,500	32%
137	New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologySocorro, NM · public	$57,215	Not adjusted	Not reported	$14,250	25%
138	Texas A&M-KingsvilleKingsville, TX · public	$55,622	$57,309	$92,622	$23,500	42%
139	Milwaukee School of EngineeringMilwaukee, WI · private nonprofit	$55,333	Not adjusted	$75,043	$27,000	49%
140	Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$55,154	Not adjusted	$120,085	Not reported	Not reported
141	Florida Institute of TechnologyMelbourne, FL · private nonprofit	$53,145	Not adjusted	$111,234	$27,000	51%
142	Tuskegee UniversityTuskegee, AL · private nonprofit	$51,473	Not adjusted	$83,985	Not reported	Not reported
143	Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	$51,267	Not adjusted	$111,011	$15,000	29%
144	University of TulsaTulsa, OK · private nonprofit	$47,705	Not adjusted	$107,874	Not reported	Not reported
145	UPR MayaguezMayaguez, PR · public	$47,701	Not adjusted	$81,905	$7,250	15%
146	University of WyomingLaramie, WY · public	$46,398	Not adjusted	$88,026	Not reported	Not reported
147	Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	$45,164	$40,791	$91,493	$16,374	36%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 83 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 64, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

7 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's chemical engineering bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Texas	8	$85,322	$20,010
2	Pennsylvania	9	$79,602	$26,916
3	Massachusetts	6	$78,074	$27,000
4	Ohio	10	$77,499	$23,209
5	Michigan	6	$75,217	$27,787
6	New York	12	$72,866	$24,797
7	California	10	$68,291	$17,784

Programs in 41 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

USC, CA$13,000
Rice University, TX$13,178
City College of New York, NY$14,125
Cornell University, NY$14,361
UC Santa Barbara, CA$14,937
MIT, MA$15,209
UC Davis, CA$16,000
Cal State Long Beach, CA$16,374
Lafayette College, PA$17,000
UC Riverside, CA$17,413

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 59 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to chemical engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$171,270

Median pay in the US. 220,260 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $120,810Top 10%: $262,760

Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers

$109,370

Median pay in the US. 23,480 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $71,850Top 10%: $168,180

Chemical Engineers

$125,040

Median pay in the US. 21,070 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $79,420Top 10%: $182,880

Common questions

The median chemical engineering bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $73,841 in their first year and $97,933 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024