Hiring a materials engineer in Buffalo, NY

Employers in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY area pay materials engineers a median of $106,450, with the middle half of the market between $88,380 and $138,520. Buffalo residents working in architecture and engineering occupations report a median of $74,767, which is 30% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a materials engineer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$88,380
Median	$106,450
75th percentile	$138,520

Half of materials engineers in this area earn between $88,380 and $138,520. A band set below $88,380 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Buffalo residents earn

$74,767

Median earnings of Buffalo residents working in architecture and engineering occupations, 2,054 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 30% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Buffalo rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 17-2131.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Buffalo?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 30.3% of Buffalo adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Buffalo commute runs 19.9 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 9.6% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Erie County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 3,308 and turns over 5.1% a quarter, with 295 hires against 236 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,477 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about materials engineers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $21,290 to $31,935 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.