Chemical engineers
SOC Code: 17-2041
Chemical engineers carries a 31% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $121,860 and +2.6% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 21,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 31% AI exposure, Chemical engineers sits 6 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 33% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
71/100
Chemical engineers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $121,860
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C- +2.6%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B- 31% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Chemical engineers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Chemical engineers shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Chemical engineers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Chemical engineers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
31% Lower than most lower than 67% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Chemical engineers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Chemical engineers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Chemical engineers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 17-2041) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Chemical engineers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Chemical engineers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- 2. Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- 3. Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- 4. Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- 5. Design and plan layout of equipment.
- 6. Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- 7. Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- 8. Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
- 9. Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
- 10. Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
Key Skills Required
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Learning
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Systems Analysis
- Systems Evaluation
- Mathematics
- Operations Analysis
Knowledge Areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Design
- Physics
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Chemical engineers?
Chemical engineers has an AI exposure score of 31%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Chemical engineers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Chemical engineers is projected to grow by 2.6% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 21,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Chemical engineers?
Key skills for Chemical engineers include Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Chemical engineers earn?
The median annual wage for Chemical engineers is $121,860, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Chemical engineers?
The typical entry-level education for Chemical engineers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Chemical engineers?
Chemical engineers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Chemical engineers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (31% here).
- Animal trainers · AI exposure 31%
- Carpet installers · AI exposure 31%
- Chemists · AI exposure 31%
- Craft artists · AI exposure 31%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.6% here).
- Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.6%
- Home appliance repairers · growth +2.6%
- Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses · growth +2.6%
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists · growth +2.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 18 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Chemical engineers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Chemical engineers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).