Materials Science Engineer Salary
$40.5K - $47.5K
2% of jobs
$47.5K - $54.5K
0% of jobs
$54.5K - $61.5K
0% of jobs
$61.5K - $68.5K
1% of jobs
$68.5K - $75.5K
6% of jobs
$75.5K - $82.5K
11% of jobs
$83.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$82.5K - $89.5K
28% of jobs
The median wage is $90K / yr.
$89.5K - $96.5K
16% of jobs
$100.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$96.5K - $103.5K
17% of jobs
$103.5K - $110.5K
12% of jobs
$110.5K - $117.5K
7% of jobs
$40.5K
$91K
$118.5K
$92,639
/year
$44.54
/hour
Materials Science Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$92,639
Columbus
Ohio
$89,480
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How much does a Materials Science Engineer make?
As of Aug 3, 2026, the average annual pay for a Materials Science Engineer in the United States is $92,639 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $44.54 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,781/week or $7,719/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $118,500 and as low as $40,500, the majority of Materials Science Engineer salaries currently range between $84,000 (25th percentile) to $102,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $113,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Materials Science Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 18500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Materials Science Engineer in your area makes on average $89,480 per year, or $3,159 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $92,639. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Materials Science Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Materials Science Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Materials Science Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Materials Science Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Materials Science Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Renton, WA, and Tacoma, WA, close behind in the second and third positions. Tacoma, WA, beats the national average by $38,923 (42.0%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $50,386 (54.4%) above the $92,639 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Materials Science Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between Cupertino, CA, and Naperville, IL, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Materials Science Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino, CA | $143,025 | $68.76 |
Renton, WA | $133,571 | $64.22 |
Tacoma, WA | $131,562 | $63.25 |
Olympia, WA | $130,324 | $62.66 |
Ketchikan, AK | $128,598 | $61.83 |
Pennington County, SD | $128,365 | $61.71 |
Kent, WA | $127,994 | $61.54 |
Vancouver, WA | $124,393 | $59.80 |
Claremont, CA | $116,388 | $55.96 |
Naperville, IL | $116,042 | $55.79 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Materials Science Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Materials Science Engineer job category, we found that Photolithography Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than Materials Science Engineer jobs.
Significantly, Photolithography Engineer jobs pay $23,225 (25.1%) more than the average Materials Science Engineer salary of $92,639. If you're qualified, finding work as a Photolithography Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Materials Science Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Photolithography Engineer | $115,864 | $55.70 |
Materials And Process Engineer | $92,639 | $44.54 |
Process Engineer | $92,018 | $44.24 |
Quality Process Engineer | $85,949 | $41.32 |
Lean Engineering | $65,624 | $31.55 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
