SOC 17-2041 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025

How much do Chemical Engineers make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Chemical Engineers in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $110,960. The 10th percentile is $75,130 and the 90th percentile is $189,200. Employment is 40.

Median annual wage

$110,960

10th percentile
$75,130
25th percentile
$89,990
Median
$110,960
75th percentile
$122,060
90th percentile
$189,200
Mean
$113,130

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Chemical Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $75,130 and the 90th percentile is $189,200. The difference is $114,070, which is 102.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $89,990 to the 75th at $122,060, covers $32,070.

The mean annual wage is $113,130, which sits above the median of $110,960. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN median is 11.3% lower than the national median of $125,040 for Chemical Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $119,217, which is 4.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 5.3% lower than the Kentucky median of $117,170.

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Kentucky, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $110,960 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Chemical Engineers at $119,217 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

6 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Chemical Engineers. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 4th of 7 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Columbus, IN is 69 miles away, with a median of $109,190 and employment of 40. That median is 1.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $117,405, against $119,217 here.
  • Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is 89 miles away, with a median of $107,610 and employment of 300. That median is 3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $112,834, against $119,217 here.
  • Evansville, IN is 103 miles away, with a median of $120,990 and employment of 60. That median is 9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $132,189, against $119,217 here.

Employment share

Chemical Engineers accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (40 of 685,190). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (21,070 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.43 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · Chemical Engineers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Chemical Engineers make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Chemical Engineers in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $110,960. The 10th percentile is $75,130 and the 90th percentile is $189,200. Employment is 40.

How does that compare with the national median for Chemical Engineers?

The local median is 11.3% lower than the national median of $125,040.

What is Chemical Engineers pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $110,960 is $119,217. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN compare with nearby metros for Chemical Engineers?

Columbus, IN is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 69 miles away, at $109,190. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 4th of 7 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.