- According to the 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, starting materials engineers earned an average of $52,670 per year. This salary represents the bottom 10th percentile of all 22,510 materials engineers in the country.
- The top five states in terms of 2009 annual starting salary for materials engineers were: Alaska ($72,070); Hawaii($68,950); Maryland ($68,250); Washington ($63,020); and California ($60,640). The bottom five states were: Kentucky ($39,810); New Mexico ($39,250); Mississippi ($38,860); South Carolina ($38,290); and Florida ($35,590).
- The starting salary for materials engineers also varied by employer. As of 2009, the top five paying employers in terms of starting salary for materials engineers were: electrical and electronic goods merchant wholesalers ($73,580); the federal government, including USPS ($71,390); specialized design services ($69,120); lumber and other construction materials merchant wholesalers ($68,630); and support activities for mining ($66,130). The bottom five over the same period were: colleges, universities, and professional schools ($40,450); steel product manufacturing from purchased steel ($40,330); educational services ($40,320); machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers ($38,560); and state government-owned educational services ($36,520).
- The Materials Information Society notes that there are five distinct career specialties for professional materials engineers. Each specialty has its own membership organization: Heat Treating Society, International Metallographic Society, Thermal Spray Society, Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society and International Organization on Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies. While starting materials engineers are likely to begin in a general position, most experienced employees pick a specific specialty for the duration of their careers.
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