The results of the 2025 AIChE Salary Survey are in and, at first glance, the data appear positive (see pp. 28–39). The overall median salary increased 6.67% from 2023, and starting salaries for new graduates increased 6%. Only 1% of respondents indicated that they were currently unemployed and seeking employment — similar to the 2023 survey. Even when accounting for inflation, the overall median salary increased by a small margin over the 2023 median.
On a positive note, survey respondents affirmed that their salaries adequately covered their cost-of-living expenses. And, the overwhelming majority (91%) felt that their paycheck supports their desired lifestyle — including hobbies, shopping, and entertainment expenses. In addition, 85% of respondents indicated that they are satisfied with their current position. More so than any of the other results, I think these metrics demonstrate the overall strength and resiliency of the chemical engineering profession.
The survey found that, in considering new jobs, most engineers value salary above all else. The option our members valued least when considering a new role was job security, which surprised me. (It didn’t even come close to the top five values — see p. 38.) I suspect that job security isn’t higher on the list because chemEs are used to having it. If you were to ask tech sector or government employees this question right now, I think the order would look a lot different.
When digging into the data, CEP editors were troubled by the response rate to this survey compared to previous surveys. Responses fell from 1,122 total in 2023 to just 769 in 2025, a decrease of 31%. Moreover, the results of the survey don’t seem to match the current economic climate. Certain industries that employ chemical engineers, such as pharmaceuticals and life sciences, have been particularly hard hit by spending cuts and layoffs. With the Salary Survey alone, it’s difficult to truly measure the health of the job market for chemical engineers, since our members self-select to take the survey. Those who are dealing with a recent layoff might be less likely to take the salary survey than engineers who are secure in their role and satisfied with their earnings. Perhaps the lower response rate we received this year is reflective of a higher unemployment rate.
CEP has conducted the Salary Survey for over 20 years and it has always been popular among graduating chemE students who are looking for fair metrics when negotiating their first salaries. This June, another tool in the undergraduate arsenal celebrates an important milestone: The McCabe-Thiele method of distillation column modeling turns 100 years old. This method, first published in a landmark paper in the journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry in 1925, is a valuable aid for students learning the engineering logic of separation processes. This logic has helped shape modern distillation modeling and analysis, as well as many other industrial separation processes.
“There is probably no more universal symbol of chemical engineering than an x-y diagram with stages stepped off,” commented distillation expert Henry Kister in a recent AIChE ChEnected interview. The Kister Distillation Symposium celebrated the 100th anniversary of the McCabe-Thiele method with a record-breaking lineup of 54 presentations at the 2025 AIChE Spring Meeting. For a full recap of the Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety, flip to pages 58–59.
Emily Petruzzelli, Editor-in-Chief
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