Civil engineers salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $68,240 | $32.81 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $100,840 | $48.48 |
| Mean (average) | $108,670 | $52.24 |
| 90th percentile | $163,220 | $78.47 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Civil engineers pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 53 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $99,010 | $63,930 | $168,370 | 5,370 | 1.07 |
| Alaska | $114,730 | $78,940 | $163,420 | 1,670 | 2.17 |
| Arizona | $89,660 | $63,740 | $138,030 | 5,940 | 0.77 |
| Arkansas | $85,020 | $44,810 | $132,460 | 1,870 | 0.6 |
| California | $122,500 | $77,980 | $175,940 | 55,180 | 1.28 |
| Colorado | $101,420 | $76,810 | $165,230 | 13,290 | 1.96 |
| Connecticut | $103,150 | $76,350 | $161,670 | 4,370 | 1.09 |
| Delaware | $100,220 | $74,560 | $153,100 | 920 | 0.8 |
| District of Columbia | $103,880 | $78,780 | $164,200 | 1,650 | 0.99 |
| Florida | $98,570 | $58,640 | $166,680 | 23,750 | 1.01 |
| Georgia | $84,240 | $62,850 | $153,690 | 9,400 | 0.81 |
| Guam | $67,410 | $50,560 | $100,130 | 640 | 4.04 |
| Hawaii | $94,280 | $62,900 | $131,810 | 2,640 | 1.78 |
| Idaho | $98,030 | $67,250 | $141,020 | 2,630 | 1.3 |
| Illinois | $99,760 | $69,590 | $157,410 | 13,910 | 0.96 |
| Indiana | $98,270 | $64,200 | $140,130 | 4,030 | 0.53 |
| Iowa | $96,430 | $64,900 | $135,480 | 2,500 | 0.68 |
| Kansas | $96,880 | $63,260 | $150,640 | 2,880 | 0.85 |
| Kentucky | $100,930 | $65,660 | $143,680 | 2,690 | 0.57 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | $64,570 | $156,610 | 3,780 | 0.82 |
| Maine | $97,820 | $71,080 | $132,600 | 1,240 | 0.82 |
| Maryland | $100,680 | $75,550 | $152,730 | 5,240 | 0.8 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | $78,280 | $165,590 | 9,450 | 1.1 |
| Michigan | $92,100 | $63,920 | $130,400 | 7,760 | 0.74 |
| Minnesota | $101,480 | $65,840 | $159,230 | 4,710 | 0.68 |
| Mississippi | $100,170 | $49,840 | $162,240 | 1,770 | 0.64 |
| Missouri | $92,750 | $64,950 | $139,210 | 5,760 | 0.83 |
| Montana | $93,070 | $62,230 | $129,020 | 1,870 | 1.55 |
| Nebraska | $103,150 | $68,950 | $149,980 | 2,360 | 0.97 |
| Nevada | $104,310 | $77,480 | $160,820 | 3,560 | 0.97 |
| New Hampshire | $98,710 | $64,270 | $139,060 | 1,620 | 1 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | $74,640 | $169,220 | 6,900 | 0.68 |
| New Mexico | $103,900 | $67,100 | $163,570 | 1,350 | 0.66 |
| New York | $103,760 | $77,290 | $169,050 | 17,500 | 0.76 |
| North Carolina | $100,730 | $70,760 | $160,520 | 12,810 | 1.1 |
| North Dakota | $98,190 | $63,290 | $143,740 | 1,380 | 1.35 |
| Ohio | $96,220 | $65,170 | $144,620 | 10,560 | 0.8 |
| Oklahoma | $98,760 | $66,550 | $153,470 | 2,180 | 0.54 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | $77,560 | $166,060 | 4,890 | 1.05 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,850 | $67,930 | $141,310 | 15,870 | 1.11 |
| Puerto Rico | $61,060 | $44,010 | $100,010 | 1,750 | 0.79 |
| Rhode Island | $99,300 | $77,800 | $151,020 | 1,270 | 1.07 |
| South Carolina | $101,600 | $67,950 | $156,380 | 7,180 | 1.32 |
| South Dakota | $98,700 | $70,050 | $127,090 | 1,440 | 1.33 |
| Tennessee | $95,910 | $65,090 | $154,100 | 5,790 | 0.75 |
| Texas | $96,860 | $63,240 | $164,330 | 34,870 | 1.05 |
| Utah | $96,830 | $62,130 | $149,410 | 5,670 | 1.38 |
| Vermont | $95,600 | $68,720 | $129,390 | 770 | 1.07 |
| Virginia | $97,120 | $74,000 | $150,710 | 11,350 | 1.17 |
| Washington | $110,000 | $81,840 | $160,670 | 12,590 | 1.5 |
| West Virginia | $86,930 | $51,640 | $132,960 | 1,300 | 0.78 |
| Wisconsin | $94,600 | $67,590 | $131,040 | 7,410 | 1.07 |
| Wyoming | $90,590 | $67,870 | $133,920 | 990 | 1.48 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for civil engineers
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 22,700. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 1.9%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for civil engineers
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Civil Engineering, General CIP 14.0801
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering CIP 14.0802
- Structural Engineering CIP 14.0803
- Transportation and Highway Engineering CIP 14.0804
- Water Resources Engineering CIP 14.0805
- Civil Engineering, Other CIP 14.0899
- Construction Engineering CIP 14.3301
Licenses and certifications
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
Professional Engineer (PE) License
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
Requirements for regulated professions are set by each state. Always confirm with the state regulator.
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
- Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.
- Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
- Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.
- Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
Technology skills
- Autodesk AutoCAD (in demand)
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D (in demand)
- Autodesk Revit (in demand)
- Bentley MicroStation (in demand)
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Apache Subversion SVN (hot technology)
- C (hot technology)
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (hot technology)
- ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
- Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Project (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Complex Problem Solving, Systems Analysis, Time Management, Operations Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination.
Common job titles: City Engineer, Civil Engineer, County Engineer, Design Engineer, Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Licensed Engineer, Project Engineer, Railroad Design Consultant, Structural Engineer.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do civil engineers make?
The national median annual wage for civil engineers was $100,840 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $68,240 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $163,220. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do civil engineers need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is civil engineers a growing career?
BLS projects employment of civil engineers to change +6.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 22,700 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay civil engineers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were California ($122,500), Alaska ($114,730), Washington ($110,000). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.