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EnergyTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.Green JobOccupation aligned to O*NET green economy classifications.

Chemical Engineer

Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.

Annual openings

41

Median wage

$125,800

Typical education

Bachelor's degree

Growth 2026–2032

+6%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

Bachelor's degree

Credential requirement

A Professional Engineer license is highly valued in the Energy industry.

Work experience

This can be an entry-level role so no experience is required.

Salary/Demand information crosses multiple industries.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenNo
  • On a computerYes
  • OutdoorsNo
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Engineering and Science
  • Engineering

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
  2. Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
  3. Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
  4. Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
  5. Design and plan layout of equipment.
  6. Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
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