How much do metallurgists make in 2026?
Metallurgists are counted in the BLS materials engineers series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 17-2131 a national median of $112,860 a year ($54.26 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $72,300 and the top 10% at $175,720 across 22,770 workers. The code covers materials engineering broadly — metals, ceramics, polymers and composites — so it is not metallurgy-specific, though metallurgists are a substantial part of it. Within metallurgy, three specialisms behave differently. Process metallurgy in mineral processing and extractive operations optimises recovery, grade and reagent consumption, and pays well because the financial leverage is enormous: a percentage point of recovery at a large operation is worth far more than the metallurgist's salary. Physical metallurgy in manufacturing works on alloy selection, heat treatment, welding metallurgy and microstructure, and is central to aerospace, energy and automotive production. Failure analysis and forensic metallurgy is the smallest and often the best-paid, because determining why a component failed carries commercial and legal consequences and few people can do it defensibly. Across all three, a master's or doctorate is common and increasingly expected for research and specialist roles. Employment is projected to grow 5.7% through 2034 with roughly 1,500 openings a year. → Full metallurgist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $112,860 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Metallurgists earn a national median $112,860/yr ($54.26/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-2131); the P10 to P90 range is $72,300 to $175,720.
- Process metallurgy pays for financial leverage — a percentage point of recovery at a large operation is worth far more than the metallurgist's entire salary.
- Failure analysis and forensic metallurgy is the smallest specialism and frequently the best paid, because defensible root cause determination carries commercial and legal consequences.
- The published figure is the materials engineer code covering metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, so treat it as a materials engineering median rather than a metallurgy-specific one.
US Metallurgist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do metallurgists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-2131; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-2131, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a metallurgist earn at each career stage?
Metallurgy pay follows the financial consequence of your judgement. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-2131.
By State
Which states pay metallurgists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national materials engineer median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Metallurgy roles exist where the processing plants and manufacturers are, which concentrates them in specific industrial regions rather than distributing them by population.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($129,790), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay metallurgists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Process metallurgy roles sit at remote operations while physical metallurgy and failure analysis cluster near manufacturing centres and laboratories.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a metallurgist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does metallurgist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Metallurgists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify metallurgist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a metallurgist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Metallurgist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Metallurgist career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring metallurgists?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Metallurgist
Everything for metallurgists in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full metallurgist cluster.