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Chemical engineering salaries have increased over the past two years, reflecting an improved economy and job market for engineers. The median salary of survey respondents is $120,000 - a 9% increase over the median reported in 2011.
The results of AIChE's biennial salary survey are encouraging for chemical engineers - salaries have increased, unemployment is down, and almost all fulltime salaried engineers receive retirement benefits.
The median annual salary of survey respondents increased by about 9% over the median reported in 2011, to $ 1 20,000 (Table 1 , Figure 1 ). Median salaries ranged from $67,000 for chemical engineers with fewer than six years of experience to about $140,000 for those with more than 30 years in the workforce. In addition to years of work experience, numerous other factors - including age, gender, education, job function, and industry - were also examined for their impact on chemical engineers' paychecks. (This is the first time that AIChE accounted for time taken off for family reasons in its salary survey.) The variables having the largest impact on salaries are years of work experience, time with current employer, and time taken off for family reasons. The other factors contribute to salaries, but to a lesser degree.
AIChE members can download an expanded version of this article, with additional information, tables and charts, and more detail, from CfsP's website, www.aiche.org/cep.
Respondent profile
This year's salary survey report is based on data provided by 3,145 AIChE members. Of those providing information regarding employment type (2,582), 90.9% (2,348) are full-time salaried employees; 3.4% (89) are selfemployed, full-time; 3.6% (92) work part-time, either selfemployed or at salaried jobs; 1 .9% (49) are not working but are seeking employment; and 0.2% (4) are unemployed and not seeking employment. The distribution of respondents in terms of employment type is almost identical to that in 201 1 .
Survey respondents are highly educated - 43.4% hold a bachelor's as their highest degree, 28.4% have a master's degree, and 28.2% have a PhD. And, more than a quarter (27%) are licensed professional engineers, which is the same as in 201 1. The gender distribution of this year's survey participants is similar to what has been seen in recent years; of those providing this information,...