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Civil engineer salary
Average civil engineer salary
$70,950
Understanding Civil Engineer Salaries
The average salary for civil engineers stands at $70,950 per year as of October 2025. This figure can significantly vary based on factors such as location, experience, and specialization. For example, civil engineers in states like California and New York often earn higher wages due to the demand for infrastructure projects and cost of living adjustments.
Salaries by Experience Level
Entry-level civil engineers can expect to start around $55,000, while those with over a decade of experience may earn upwards of $90,000. This progression highlights the importance of gaining experience and continuing education in enhancing earning potential.
Opportunities for Advancement
Civil engineers can boost their salaries by pursuing advanced roles such as project managers or specialized positions in environmental engineering. Many employers offer additional benefits, including bonuses, health insurance, and retirement plans, which further enhance overall compensation.
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Where can a Civil Engineer earn more?
Civil engineer salaries by experience level
Civil engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average civil engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for civil engineers are California, Alaska, and Oregon. The lowest average civil engineer salary states are Michigan, Kansas, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for civil engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $91,786 | $44.13 |
| 2 | Alaska | $81,287 | $39.08 |
| 3 | Oregon | $76,118 | $36.60 |
| 4 | Nevada | $75,994 | $36.54 |
| 5 | Virginia | $75,340 | $36.22 |
| 6 | Maine | $74,684 | $35.91 |
| 7 | Washington | $74,621 | $35.88 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $75,947 | $36.51 |
| 9 | Delaware | $71,877 | $34.56 |
| 10 | Vermont | $71,573 | $34.41 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $74,461 | $35.80 |
| 12 | New York | $75,485 | $36.29 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $71,013 | $34.14 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $70,944 | $34.11 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $70,864 | $34.07 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $68,874 | $33.11 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $74,987 | $36.05 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $71,311 | $34.28 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $70,441 | $33.87 |
| 20 | Alabama | $66,657 | $32.05 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $68,057 | $32.72 |
| 22 | Colorado | $67,946 | $32.67 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $68,908 | $33.13 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $68,401 | $32.89 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $69,532 | $33.43 |
| 26 | Texas | $65,826 | $31.65 |
| 27 | Florida | $67,327 | $32.37 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $67,614 | $32.51 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $68,597 | $32.98 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $67,568 | $32.48 |
| 31 | Maryland | $66,554 | $32.00 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $63,460 | $30.51 |
| 33 | Illinois | $67,539 | $32.47 |
| 34 | Ohio | $64,262 | $30.90 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $65,815 | $31.64 |
| 36 | Missouri | $66,796 | $32.11 |
| 37 | Arizona | $62,986 | $30.28 |
| 38 | Indiana | $62,961 | $30.27 |
| 39 | Iowa | $62,980 | $30.28 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $61,299 | $29.47 |
| 41 | Georgia | $61,434 | $29.54 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $62,311 | $29.96 |
| 43 | Michigan | $60,009 | $28.85 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $62,382 | $29.99 |
| 45 | Idaho | $61,323 | $29.48 |
| 46 | Montana | $56,606 | $27.21 |
| 47 | Utah | $58,347 | $28.05 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $60,490 | $29.08 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $51,913 | $24.96 |
| 50 | Kansas | $59,603 | $28.66 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $57,367 | $27.58 |
Highest paying cities for civil engineers
The highest-paying cities for civil engineers are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $98,133 | $47.18 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $76,037 | $36.56 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $75,674 | $36.38 |
| 4 | Virginia Beach, VA | $75,636 | $36.36 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $75,594 | $36.34 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $75,588 | $36.34 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $75,337 | $36.22 |
| 8 | Portland, ME | $75,045 | $36.08 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $74,429 | $35.78 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $71,324 | $34.29 |
| 11 | Oklahoma City, OK | $70,912 | $34.09 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $69,583 | $33.45 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $69,160 | $33.25 |
| 14 | Richmond, KY | $68,745 | $33.05 |
| 15 | Lakewood, CO | $67,878 | $32.63 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $67,706 | $32.55 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $67,633 | $32.52 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $67,398 | $32.40 |
| 19 | Baltimore, MD | $66,695 | $32.06 |
| 20 | San Antonio, TX | $66,293 | $31.87 |
Civil Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Civil engineer salary details
A civil engineer's salary ranges from $51,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $97,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a civil engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
| Average | $70,950 | $5,913 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
Highest paying civil engineer jobs
The highest paying types of civil engineers are resident engineer, senior structural engineer, and engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Designer | $63,273 | $5,273 | $30.42 | 51,432 |
| Structural Engineering Internship | $47,072 | $3,923 | $22.63 | 105,826 |
| Structural Design Engineer | $75,662 | $6,305 | $36.38 | 57,187 |
| Structures Engineer | $73,391 | $6,116 | $35.28 | 20,778 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Project Field Engineer | $71,292 | $5,941 | $34.27 | 78,589 |
Top companies hiring civil engineers now:
Which companies pay civil engineers the most?
Civil engineer salaries at The Citadel and NYISO are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average civil engineer salary at companies like Amazon and Santa Clara Valley Water District are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Citadel | $141,938 | $68.24 |
| 2 | NYISO | $110,172 | $52.97 |
| 3 | Amazon | $109,245 | $52.52 |
| 4 | Santa Clara Valley Water District | $108,808 | $52.31 |
| 5 | Ernst & Young | $108,734 | $52.28 |
| 6 | Ross Stores | $107,555 | $51.71 |
| 7 | Forest City Realty Trust | $107,496 | $51.68 |
| 8 | Parsons | $101,969 | $49.02 |
| 9 | Battelle | $101,020 | $48.57 |
| 10 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $100,180 | $48.16 |
| 11 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $100,061 | $48.11 |
| 12 | Repsol Energy North America Corporation | $96,911 | $46.59 |
| 13 | California Institute of Technology | $96,491 | $46.39 |
| 14 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $95,988 | $46.15 |
| 15 | LG&E and KU | $95,563 | $45.94 |
| 16 | CIBC World Markets | $95,019 | $45.68 |
| 17 | Palantir | $94,417 | $45.39 |
| 18 | DSW | $93,758 | $45.08 |
| 19 | TÃœV SÃœD America | $92,797 | $44.61 |
| 20 | Crown Castle International | $92,510 | $44.48 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Civil engineer salary trends
The average civil engineer salary has risen by $8,476 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average civil engineer earned $62,474 annually, but today, they earn $70,950 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for civil engineers over the last decade.
Compare civil engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average civil engineer salary over time
Compare civil engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Civil engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,900 | $34.11 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $69,700 | $33.53 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $69,400 | $33.37 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $67,900 | $32.65 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $66,900 | $32.17 | +1.6% |
Recently added civil engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNTB | New Grad Civil Engineer I-Summer 2025 | Santa Ana, CA | 06/30/2025 | $74,505 |
| Barr Systems | Civil Engineer-Mid Level-Water Resources Focus (Hybrid) | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/30/2025 | $95,000 |
| Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. | Civil Engineer III | Reno, NV | 06/30/2025 | $85,000 |
| The Foth Companies | Lead Civil Engineer | Green Bay, WI | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Michael Baker | Civil Engineer I-Civil & Environmental-Hybrid | Alexandria, VA | 06/29/2025 | $75,088 |
| Morrison-Maierle Inc. | Civil Engineer-Site Development | Spokane, WA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Morrison Maierle Inc. | Entry Civil Engineer-Water/Wastewater | Billings, MT | 06/29/2025 | $66,500 |
| Morrison-Maierle Inc. | Civil Engineer-Site Development | Bend, OR | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Akrf, Inc. | Civil Engineer | High Bridge, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Milhouse Engineering & Construction | Civil Engineer II/III, Site Civil | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $113,200 |
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