← All 785 jobsFile 17-2131
Materials Engineers
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 7.5% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #276 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +7.5% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $112,860 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 23,800 in the US, with about 1,300 openings a year
The work, 24 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Plan work activities8%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 482 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Assess compliance with environmental standards or regulations8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Analyze performance of systems or equipment6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 563 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
Still yours: Manage control systems or activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise others on business or operational matters4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 290 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate with others about specifications or project details4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 117 Copilot conversations and completed it 78% of the time.
Still yours: Resolve personnel or operational problems4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare proposals or grant applications3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Manage budgets or finances3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Present research or technical information3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Develop models of systems, processes, or products3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,656 Copilot conversations and completed it 72% of the time.
AI does this: Write material for artistic or commercial purposes2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 95 Copilot conversations and completed it 89% of the time.
Still yours: Design industrial systems or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 108 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,300 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 30% of the workCommercial Pilots16% AI does, against 26% here+5.2% by 2035 · $123,220 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 30% of the workElectrical Engineers13% AI does, against 26% here+9.9% by 2035 · $120,630 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 23% of the workEducation Administrators, Postsecondary19% AI does, against 26% here+1.8% by 2035 · $104,590 · Master’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.18, higher than 63% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 17-2131 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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