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Job outlook for civil engineering assistants in the United States
Civil engineering assistant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected civil engineering assistant job growth rate is 7% from 2018-2028.
About 22,100 new jobs for civil engineering assistants are projected over the next decade.
Civil engineering assistant salaries have increased 6% for civil engineering assistants in the last 5 years.
There are over 18,657 civil engineering assistants currently employed in the United States.
There are 60,167 active civil engineering assistant job openings in the US.
The average civil engineering assistant salary is $63,615.
Are civil engineering assistant jobs in demand?
Civil engineering assistant job and salary trends over time
Civil engineering assistant jobs over time
Civil engineering assistant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,657 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 18,445 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 19,058 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 18,762 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 18,326 | 0.01% |
Average civil engineering assistant salary over time
Civil engineering assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $63,615 | $30.58 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $62,531 | $30.06 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $62,229 | $29.92 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $60,886 | $29.27 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $60,002 | $28.85 | +1.6% |
Civil engineering assistant jobs by state
Most common states for civil engineering assistants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 256 | 37% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 168 | 22% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 163 | 22% |
| 4 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 220 | 21% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 190 | 20% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 769 | 19% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 154 | 18% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,193 | 16% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,124 | 16% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 906 | 16% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 484 | 16% |
| 12 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 218 | 16% |
| 13 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,298 | 15% |
| 14 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 261 | 15% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 204 | 15% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 272 | 14% |
| 17 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 758 | 13% |
| 18 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 461 | 13% |
| 19 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 415 | 13% |
| 20 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 665 | 12% |
Most common cities for civil engineering assistants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $79,920 |
| 2 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $60,632 |
Civil Engineering Assistant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of civil engineering assistant experts
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Northeastern University
Ohio University
University of Texas at Tyler
University of Miami
George Fox University
Boise State University
Tufts University
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Simeng Li Ph.D.: I would like to say the most important is to be proactive and take initiative in your work – show your enthusiasm and willingness to take on new challenges. Being proactive not only leads to opportunities for advancement, but also helps great mentors to notice you and makes them want to help you navigate through the complexities of the industry because your attitude reminds them of their younger selves. While improving your technical skills, keep polishing your soft skills for collaborating effectively at the present and leading projects in the near future.
Serena Alexander Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Policy and EngineeringNortheastern University
Civil Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Serena Alexander Ph.D.: Be determined, patient, and resilient. Civil and environmental engineers often deal with projects that take time and persistent effort; unexpected obstacles might arise at any time. Your ability to deal with uncertainties and address challenges with determination is key to your success. You also must be patient—with your team, clients, contractors, governmental and community organizations. You cannot solve problems without critically listening to what all these players have to say about the project and its challenges. Lastly, if things do not go as planned, your ability to bounce back quickly and develop an effective, alternative plan is important.
What Civil Engineering Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Bhaven Naik PhD, PE, PTOE, RSP: Ability to analyze data … course in statistics will be very helpful. As well, the core classes in Civil Engineering are going to be very beneficial. As much as the new technology and all is quickly taking shape, there is going to be a need for the basics in the coming years.
What will help Civil Engineering Assistants increase their earning potential?
Bhaven Naik PhD, PE, PTOE, RSP: By being proactive … researching the current job salaries – ASCE have a great site for doing that. By continuous learning … getting licensure (PE, PTOE etc.) and also a Master’s degree (Civil or MBA).
Dr. Mena Souliman Ph.D., P.E., F.IRF.
Ronald D. Brazzel Endowed Professor of Civil EngineeringUniversity of Texas at Tyler
Civil Engineering
What will help Civil Engineering Assistants increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mena Souliman Ph.D., P.E., F.IRF.: People often appreciate the variety of projects and the opportunity to solve real-world problems that come with being a civil engineer. Additionally, seeing tangible results, such as completed infrastructure projects, can be rewarding. However, challenges like dealing with bureaucratic processes, long hours during project deadlines, and the potential for work to be affected by external factors like weather or funding constraints can be sources of frustration. Overall, satisfaction in the field often depends on individual preferences and the specific work environment.
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Joseph Reichenberger PE [CA AZ HI NM NV], BCEE, F.ASCE: The Civil Engineering profession is different then many professions as there are many sub-
disciplines to enter such as structures, environmental, water resources, land development, ports
and harbors, water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, geotechnical (dams,
levees, foundations), transportation (light rail, heavy rail, airports, roads, multi-modal, etc.),
traffic, construction and others. Many civil engineers will change their sub-disciplines as their
interests change and the "market" changes. For example, there was no "Superfund" and
environmental clean-up in the early 1980s. This created the environmental mitigation sub-
discipline. So civil engineers do not have to remain stagnant.
Civil engineers can work in an office or be outdoors working in construction or a combination of
both. That is attractive. It is also an occupation where you serve the public and there are great
opportunities to using their creative skill to improve society and the environment with their
projects. Our projects are now emphasizing sustainability, which is attracting a lot of young
people into the profession.
I don't know anyone that dislikes civil engineering. I have been practicing for 60 years and enjoy
it. I still teach full time and take on a wide variety of consulting projects in the water, wastewater
and recycled water areas. If an individual does not like a particular subdiscipline, they can
change. Our education, mandated by our accrediting agency ABET, requires graduates to be
proficient in a minimum of 4 sub-disciplines; so graduates have the basic skills if they want to
change. Many, as they advance in their careers, start their own civil engineering consulting
company - work for themselves, or construction and land development companies. There are
many of these opportunities.
It is also a profession where you can branch out of civil engineering. Several of our graduates
have gone into law (patent, environmental, construction); we have had a few employed by the
large financial corporations like Ernst and Young.
What Civil Engineering Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Joseph Reichenberger PE [CA AZ HI NM NV], BCEE, F.ASCE: Infrastructure is on the minds of governments and funding agencies have supported
infrastructure. The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in November 2021,
authorized $1.2 trillion dollars for a variety of infrastructure projects.
From: https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/infrastructure-investment-in-the-united-states
Civil engineers are involved in most if not all of these types of projects. So the job market for
civil engineers for the near term is excellent.
Afifa Mushtaque in an article published 03102024 entitled "20 Highest Paying Countries for Civil
Engineers" https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/20-highest-paying-countries-for-civil-engineers-
1271941/, stated the global civil engineering market is looking for major growth as $13.7 trillion
dollars is expected by 2030 and forecasts a compound annual growth rate of nearly 6% from
2023 to 2030.
Civil engineering has generally always been a good field for jobs. Civil engineering jobs tend to
follow the housing market so it is not all roses. There was a significant reduction in employment
for civil engineers, along with many others in the early 1980s and recently in the recession in
2010 or so. But the recovery has been substantial and continuing as stated above.
We are blessed with an influx of well prepared, young graduates with skills in the latest
technology replacing retiring civil engineers. Our typical class here at Loyola Marymount
University (LMU) typically has 30 to 40% women. It is a great profession for women and work
force is quite diverse.
Esber Andiroglu PhD, PE, LEED AP
Associate Professor of Practice, Dept. of Civil & Architectural Engineering, Director of Construction Management ProgramsUniversity of Miami
Architectural Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Esber Andiroglu PhD, PE, LEED AP: Interdisciplinary and transformative design and construction approaches; integration of emerging technological innovations into practice; integration of software tools into everyday problem solving; solid knowledge about smart systems and AI applications; good understanding and ability to use data analytics
Ben Giudice Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Civil EngineeringGeorge Fox University
Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Biomedical Engineering
What soft skills should all Civil Engineering Assistants possess?
Ben Giudice Ph.D.: Soft skills are vital in civil engineering, and the ones that are most important at the early stages of people's careers include both written and oral communication. Writing memos and reports, emails, talking to people in the field or on the phone - all of these are incredibly important to civil engineering.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Civil Engineering Assistants?
Ben Giudice Ph.D.: Specific technical skills that are important will vary widely by what the employer is looking for. Civil engineering is an incredibly broad field with many specialties and subspecialties. Having technical skills like specific software capabilities in the area of civil engineering one is proposing to enter is definitely a plus. Moreso than specific technical skills, it is important to highlight any kind of project work that has been completed, whether those be major projects as part of the coursework, a senior capstone project, or extracurricular projects of relevance that have been completed.
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Ben Giudice Ph.D.: Civil engineers collect and organize data - this could be traffic counts, survey data including elevations, distances, and locations of natural and manmade objects, water quality data, soil characteristics, historical precipitation data - then use that data to design infrastructure or improvements to existing infrastructure to improve public safety, public health, support the economy, provide housing, and so forth. This design can be in the form of performing calculations, developing spreadsheets, developing CAD drawings, using modeling software, and following established codes and standards. Sometimes experiments or pilot projects and studies are designed and conducted. During construction, engineers ensure that the construction is following their specifications. Entry-level civil engineers often work on drawings, data collection and compilation, construction inspection, and in general support more experienced engineers with whatever they need assistance with. As they grow in experience, they take more responsibility in leading projects including the decision making and design.
What Civil Engineering Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ben Giudice Ph.D.: If you like working with people and serving your community, being a civil engineer can be very rewarding. You can also contribute to a healthier environment by developing more environmentally friendly designs. There is a wide variety of different kinds of work that civil engineers do, as it is a very broad discipline. Because of this, it is likely that something within civil engineering will excite and interest you. I haven't known anyone who was a civil engineer that disliked it! Compared with other engineering disciplines, the pay is not quite as high on average, but there are generally more opportunities available on a more consistent basis, and there are jobs available everywhere in the world nearly all the time.
What will help Civil Engineering Assistants increase their earning potential?
Ben Giudice Ph.D.: There is a huge demand for civil engineers across the nation. All of the junior civil engineering students at George Fox University this year had internships for the summer lined up by the end of March. Every senior either had a job offer signed by the end of March, or had multiple offers they were still weighing. The need for civil engineers will never go away, as society will always need qualified civil engineers to support all aspects of civilization. You can also work nearly anywhere in the world, as practically wherever there are people, there is a need for civil engineering.
What type of skills will young Civil Engineering Assistants need?
Nick Hudyma PhD PE: Civil engineering is a technical discipline that is founded in mathematics, physics, and the natural sciences. Technical skills have always been, and will continue to be, important. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us the importance of professional skills. Civil engineers must be able to communicate effectively, using a range of techniques to a wide variety of audiences.
In my opinion, visualization skills will begin to become very important. I can envision a coupled work environment, having technical analyses and designs working behind the scenes with visualizations being presented to clients. Civil engineers will need to present their work, not using traditional 2D blueprints and plan sets, but using 3D and 4D visualizations, which will include either virtual reality or augmented reality. This is especially important as our designs become more complex, and we continue in-fill development in dense urban areas.
What experience really stands out on Civil Engineering Assistant resumes?
Nick Hudyma PhD PE: Internship and coop experiences have always stood out on resumes. I believe students should augment their resumes with a civil engineering portfolio. When students showcase their academic work, especially analysis and design projects, to potential employers, they will have a much more engaging conversation during their interviews.
What general advice would you give to a Civil Engineering Assistant?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.: This is a different generation of graduates, and many employers are going to want to know how you dealt with and responded to the COVID crisis. The response to this tells so much about an individual's ability to deal with and overcome adversity. They seek innovative, upbeat, and definite answers that show that students are prepared for anything and will be resourceful.
They are also looking to see what personal actions and community involvement students participated in. For instance, online tutoring for kids whose parents needed help homeschooling their kids while they worked, or using their engineering skills to 3D print PPE for local nursing homes and other at-risk populations.
Every engineering student comes out with technical skills, but the ones that used them, and showed their compassion for humanity, will be the ones that companies will want to hire.