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Bridge engineer salary
Average bridge engineer salary
$78,679
Understanding Bridge Engineer Salaries
Bridge engineers play a vital role in the design and maintenance of infrastructure. Currently, the average salary for a bridge engineer stands at $78,679 per year, translating to about $38 per hour. However, earnings can vary significantly due to factors such as experience, location, and the specific engineering firm.
Salary Variations by Experience
Entry-level bridge engineers typically earn less, while those with several years of experience can command higher salaries. For instance, professionals with over ten years in the field may see salaries exceeding $90,000.
Geographic Influence on Salaries
Location significantly affects salary potential. States like California and New York often report higher average salaries due to increased demand for infrastructure projects. In contrast, states with fewer urban developments may offer lower salaries.
Employment Opportunities
In addition to traditional engineering firms, opportunities exist in government agencies and construction companies. Understanding the salary landscape helps bridge engineers negotiate better compensation and seek roles that align with their financial goals.
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Where can a Bridge Engineer earn more?
Bridge engineer salaries by experience level
Bridge engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average bridge engineer salary by state
The average bridge engineer salary in California, Alaska, and Colorado are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average bridge engineer salary states are Tennessee, Hawaii, and Maryland.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for bridge engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $89,568 | $43.06 |
| 2 | California | $98,073 | $47.15 |
| 3 | Colorado | $86,694 | $41.68 |
| 4 | Oregon | $85,022 | $40.88 |
| 5 | Washington | $84,316 | $40.54 |
| 6 | Alabama | $80,720 | $38.81 |
| 7 | Arizona | $77,580 | $37.30 |
| 8 | Idaho | $76,545 | $36.80 |
| 9 | Montana | $75,065 | $36.09 |
| 10 | Utah | $74,934 | $36.03 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $78,708 | $37.84 |
| 12 | Maine | $74,195 | $35.67 |
| 13 | Delaware | $74,783 | $35.95 |
| 14 | Missouri | $80,026 | $38.47 |
| 15 | New York | $78,952 | $37.96 |
| 16 | Nevada | $74,560 | $35.85 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $75,882 | $36.48 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $71,265 | $34.26 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $74,340 | $35.74 |
| 20 | Vermont | $73,775 | $35.47 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $75,628 | $36.36 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $74,466 | $35.80 |
| 23 | Texas | $71,719 | $34.48 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $73,277 | $35.23 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $73,327 | $35.25 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $71,118 | $34.19 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $71,741 | $34.49 |
| 28 | Virginia | $70,755 | $34.02 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $71,691 | $34.47 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $68,537 | $32.95 |
| 31 | Georgia | $67,718 | $32.56 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $73,486 | $35.33 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $65,972 | $31.72 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $70,747 | $34.01 |
| 35 | Illinois | $69,437 | $33.38 |
| 36 | Indiana | $66,370 | $31.91 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $67,138 | $32.28 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $69,031 | $33.19 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $64,613 | $31.06 |
| 40 | Florida | $66,619 | $32.03 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $62,806 | $30.20 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $61,565 | $29.60 |
| 43 | Kansas | $67,146 | $32.28 |
| 44 | Maryland | $60,915 | $29.29 |
| 45 | Ohio | $64,504 | $31.01 |
| 46 | Iowa | $63,008 | $30.29 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $63,258 | $30.41 |
| 48 | Michigan | $60,158 | $28.92 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $62,063 | $29.84 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $60,130 | $28.91 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $60,234 | $28.96 |
Highest paying cities for bridge engineers
The highest-paying cities for bridge engineers are Sacramento, CA, Littleton, CO, and Salem, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento, CA | $101,726 | $48.91 |
| 2 | Littleton, CO | $86,657 | $41.66 |
| 3 | Salem, OR | $85,163 | $40.94 |
| 4 | Olympia, WA | $84,910 | $40.82 |
| 5 | Kansas City, MO | $80,431 | $38.67 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $79,075 | $38.02 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $77,705 | $37.36 |
| 8 | Glastonbury, CT | $75,606 | $36.35 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | $74,465 | $35.80 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $74,338 | $35.74 |
| 11 | Billings, MT | $73,366 | $35.27 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $72,634 | $34.92 |
| 13 | Dallas, TX | $72,089 | $34.66 |
| 14 | Albuquerque, NM | $71,856 | $34.55 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $71,838 | $34.54 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | $71,097 | $34.18 |
| 17 | Richmond, VA | $70,723 | $34.00 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $69,535 | $33.43 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $68,099 | $32.74 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $67,853 | $32.62 |
Bridge engineer salary details
A bridge engineer's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $103,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a bridge engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| Average | $78,679 | $6,557 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
Highest paying bridge engineer jobs
The highest paying types of bridge engineers are senior engineer, resident engineer, and senior structural engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Designer | $58,421 | $4,868 | $28.09 | 57,036 |
| Structural Designer | $63,273 | $5,273 | $30.42 | 51,432 |
| Structural Engineering Internship | $47,072 | $3,923 | $22.63 | 105,826 |
| Civil Engineering Internship | $52,597 | $4,383 | $25.29 | 109,733 |
| Civil/Structural Engineer | $74,421 | $6,202 | $35.78 | 20,123 |
| Geotechnical Engineer | $74,831 | $6,236 | $35.98 | 15,062 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for bridge engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring bridge engineers now:
Which companies pay bridge engineers the most?
Bridge engineer salaries at Parsons and Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average bridge engineer salary at companies like Whitman and CnS are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsons | $89,236 | $42.90 |
| 2 | Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County | $85,550 | $41.13 |
| 3 | Whitman | $83,837 | $40.31 |
| 4 | CnS | $83,048 | $39.93 |
| 5 | Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | $81,932 | $39.39 |
| 6 | Aia Engineers, Ltd. | $81,873 | $39.36 |
| 7 | Colliers Engineering & Design | $81,780 | $39.32 |
| 8 | Ch2M Hill | $81,631 | $39.25 |
| 9 | Fuss & O'Neill | $81,617 | $39.24 |
| 10 | ANSER | $81,272 | $39.07 |
| 11 | Century Engineering | $81,255 | $39.06 |
| 12 | Burns & McDonnell | $81,080 | $38.98 |
| 13 | GRAEF | $81,076 | $38.98 |
| 14 | Fishbeck | $80,459 | $38.68 |
| 15 | SDR Consulting | $80,209 | $38.56 |
| 16 | Volkert | $80,060 | $38.49 |
| 17 | Regions Bank | $80,015 | $38.47 |
| 18 | Jacobs Enterprises | $79,867 | $38.40 |
| 19 | URS E&C Holdings Inc | $79,866 | $38.40 |
| 20 | CONSOR Engineers | $79,866 | $38.40 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Bridge engineer salary trends
The average bridge engineer salary has risen by $9,398 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average bridge engineer earned $69,281 annually, but today, they earn $78,679 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for bridge engineers over the last decade.
Compare bridge engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average bridge engineer salary over time
Compare bridge engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Bridge engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $78,700 | $37.83 | +1.7% |
| 2025 | $77,300 | $37.18 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | $77,000 | $37.00 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $75,300 | $36.20 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $74,200 | $35.68 | +1.6% |
Recently added bridge engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons | Structural Bridge Engineer | Centreville, VA | 06/30/2025 | $72,900 |
| Beta | Bridge Engineer | Rhode Island | 06/30/2025 | $88,000 |
| Beta | Bridge Engineer | New Hampshire | 06/30/2025 | $88,000 |
| Michael Baker | Bridge Engineer II | Santa Ana, CA | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
| Michael Baker | Bridge Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $90,114 |
| Michael Baker | Bridge Engineer | Des Moines, IA | 06/29/2025 | $82,605 |
| Morrison-Maierle Inc. | Structural Bridge Engineer | Helena, MT | 06/29/2025 | $66,500 |
| Mark Thomas & Company | Senior Bridge Engineer | Oakland, CA | 06/29/2025 | $117,000 |
| Alfredbeneschco | Bridge Engineer | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Stvinc | Rail Bridge Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/28/2025 | $78,837 |
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