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The differences between civil engineers and structures engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a civil engineer and a structures engineer. Additionally, a structures engineer has an average salary of $73,391, which is higher than the $70,950 average annual salary of a civil engineer.
The top three skills for a civil engineer include civil 3d, engineering design and cost estimates. The most important skills for a structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Civil Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,950 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $34.11 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 26,803 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Civil engineers and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,950 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $97,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a civil engineer and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between civil engineers' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Civil Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |