Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for foundation engineers in the United States
Are foundation engineer jobs in demand?
Foundation engineer job and salary trends over time
Foundation engineer jobs over time
Foundation engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 131 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 129 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 134 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 132 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 129 | 0.00% |
Average foundation engineer salary over time
Foundation engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $76,200 | $36.63 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $74,901 | $36.01 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $74,539 | $35.84 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $72,930 | $35.06 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $71,872 | $34.55 | +1.6% |
Foundation engineer jobs by state
Most common states for foundation engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 210 | 30% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 673 | 8% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 73 | 8% |
| 4 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 448 | 6% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 350 | 6% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 331 | 6% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 258 | 6% |
| 8 | Alaska | 739,795 | 44 | 6% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 34 | 5% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 32 | 5% |
| 11 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,722 | 4% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 290 | 4% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 258 | 4% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 128 | 4% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 73 | 4% |
| 16 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 58 | 4% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 44 | 4% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 23 | 4% |
| 19 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 159 | 3% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 93 | 3% |
Most common cities for foundation engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | 1 | 1% | $100,492 |
| 2 | Detroit | 2 | 0% | $61,554 |
| 3 | Corpus Christi | 1 | 0% | $76,158 |
Foundation Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of foundation engineer experts
University of Miami
George Fox University
Pace University
Alabama A&M University
Oregon State University
Central Connecticut State University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Boise State University
University of Houston/Clear Lake
Sweet Briar College
Embry-Riddle, Prescott
University of Texas
Tufts University
What general advice would you give to a Foundation Engineer?
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 Foundation Engineer 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 Foundation Engineer?
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 Foundation Engineers 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 Foundation Engineers?
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.
James Albrecht
Professor of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security, retired NYPD Captain/Commanding OfficerPace University
Criminal Justice and Homeland Security Department
What skills stand out on Foundation Engineer resumes?
James Albrecht: Obviously, civil engineers have to possess a comprehensive and advanced understanding of architecture, physics, mathematics, engineering, and drafting skills, but 9-11 and even climate change have added other concerns to the field of civil engineering. Engineers now have to consider the need for safeguarding against terrorist events, natural disasters, rioting, and other man-made occurrences. As such, target hardening options must be considered, particularly when building in highly trafficked urban areas, when designing or renovating government buildings and public infrastructure, in tourist destinations, and in a hurricane, tornado, or other inclement weather prone zones. If one plans to work on projects in these areas or regions, it would be practical and realistic to take courses in critical infrastructure and safeguard national infrastructure offered by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and other public-private organizations.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foundation Engineers?
James Albrecht: There are basic phenomena that all civil engineers have to understand and fully comprehend. These are the skills that you will learn in detail in books in college or at your training site. But a top-tier civil engineer must not only be acutely familiar with the project objectives but also must be exceptionally aware of the environment in which the building or structure has been or will be placed. As such, one must be cognizant of potential hazards posed by climate or people. There may be expressed concerns or mandates about building in hurricane, tornado or flooding prone areas, but a civil engineer must take into consideration population density, proximity to a high-value person, structure, or historic site (e.g., City Hall, electric company, Liberty Bell, etc.), and potential for mass casualty or extreme damage if attacked by radical elements or rioters. Unfortunately, this is the world that we live in today.
What skills will help Foundation Engineers earn the most?
James Albrecht: Clearly possessing a thorough and exceptional understanding of the basic skills needed in civil engineering is extremely critical. In addition, by expressing concerns or describing options for target hardening, you will also show your client that you have their safety and welfare in mind. Conducting a historical assessment of weather, sensational incidents, area crime rate, population density, and peak daily usage, and combining that with an evaluation of nearby sites that may be appealing to tourists or that routinely draw large crowds, e.g., nearby subway or bus station, should cause a client to be impressed with your comprehensive understanding and analysis of project-related issues. Undoubtedly, any "people skills" you can bring to the table that highlights your empathetic nature will surely inspire a customer or potential client.
Pooja Preetha Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorAlabama A&M University
Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering
What skills stand out on Foundation Engineer resumes?
Pooja Preetha Ph.D.: According to my previous experiences, they are a combination of soft skills like creative thinking, problem-solving and hard skills like strong math and project management with the knowledge of tools like AutoCAD and GIS.
How do you envision technology impacting Foundation Engineers in the next 5 years?
David Blunck Ph.D.: The emergence of 3-D printing is revolutionizing the field of mechanical engineering. Engineers can design parts that are much less expensive and have much more outstanding performance. As engineers, we have known for many years how to improve products' performance, but we have been limited by the ability to manufacture components. This barrier is being removed and enabling us to realize things that we only dreamed of creating a few years ago.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Foundation Engineers?
David Blunck Ph.D.: I certainly expect that there to be an enduring impact, for better and worse. I hope that graduates will be better equipped to use technology in communicating and working in teams. I expect graduates to be more resilient and be more adept at working remotely and using engineering tools. This will ultimately enable more distributed teams of engineers to work together across the globe. I also see the pandemic as helping more virtual learning opportunities for graduates (e.g., certificates) and future engineering students (e.g., more online degrees). For worse, I worry that students may not gain hands-on experience that can help design and build products. Moreover, recent graduates may not be as experienced in conducting experiments or collecting data.
Dr. Bin (Brenda) Zhou Ph.D.
ProfessorCentral Connecticut State University
Department of Engineering
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Foundation Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Bin (Brenda) Zhou Ph.D.: Given the uncertainties that we are facing, companies are cautious about hiring full-time employees; some even put internship positions on hold. It will be challenging for college students to gain civil engineering-related experiences and difficult for new graduates with little experience to find a job. However, some fields are doing reasonably well during the pandemic, such as construction and precast concrete.
What Foundation Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Bin (Brenda) Zhou Ph.D.: With the shrinking market of design/office work during the pandemic, I see two options for a graduate. One is to go to graduate school, and the other is to work in the field. Graduate education generally transforms a student from a generalist to a specialist, so, choose a study area carefully. In addition to gaining specialized knowledge at graduate school, students may use the time, up to certain limits, to fulfill engineering experience requirements when applying for a Professional Engineer (PE) license. Check each state's professional licensing boards for details. Most students with a BS in civil engineering prefer a design job, but field experience can be supplementary and beneficial to the design work that an engineer will do in the future. Such experiences broaden students' perspectives, and make them better engineers, because they will pay attention to constructability in their designs. A word of caution: stay agile and keep an eye on emerging opportunities. Do not get too comfortable and stay there for too long, unless construction management is your passion.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Foundation Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Panos Prevedouros Ph.D.: Most jobs will be in engineering disciplines needed for infrastructure maintenance, upgrade, and replacement. Also, a lot of new developments have been deferred by the pandemic, so if there is no surprise in the lending rates, development will grow and possibly skyrocket in 2022 and beyond.
Engineering disciplines related to transit will shrink. Transit has lost about 80 percent of its riders and is unlikely to regain many of them for reasons such as depleted municipal budgets, people's desire to avoid dense crowds even after the pandemic ends, and robocars presence in five to ten years.
What type of skills will young Foundation Engineers need?
Shannon Bartelt-Hunt Ph.D.: Skills that are always needed for civil engineering graduates are communication and teamwork. Demand for civil engineers to work as part of interdisciplinary teams to solve our global infrastructure challenges will require excellent technical skills and a team player, and a good communicator.
What experience really stands out on Foundation Engineer resumes?
Shannon Bartelt-Hunt Ph.D.: Experiences that stand out on resumes are things that showcase their expertise and potential to demonstrate leadership. This can be through internships, extracurricular activities, or research. It's essential to show impacts - what you accomplished through your actions.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Foundation Engineers?
Dr. Bret Lingwall Ph.D.: No. The pandemic was timed with a recession, creating a low market for new graduates right now. However, like all economic downturns, the pandemic will pass, and the private sector will recover. The good news for civil engineers is that the public sector is broadly poised to continue making significant infrastructure investments. This means that the jobs market will be resilient in civil engineering. When you take the long view, difficult times happen every decade or so. The market always recovers and graduates continuously adapt. You have to think of the pandemic as an opportunity rather than a challenge.
What type of skills will young Foundation Engineers need?
Dr. Bret Lingwall Ph.D.: There are several skills young grads need right now. 1) Engineers who can dutifully do math are a dime-a-dozen. Engineers who know what math needs to be done are rare. These young graduates who can look at a problem, go to their box of analytical tools, choose the right tool, and do the math that needs to be done are in high demand. 2) Soft skills are becoming ever more critical as design work becomes more automated. AI, Machine Learning, and other numerical design tools are gradually taking over the industry.
Without the engineer needing to spend their time on routine (and often tedious) calculations, engineers' need to have soft skills to succeed is becoming more critical to success. We need creative engineers. We need engineers who can communicate with the client and the public. We need reflective practitioners. We need young graduates in civil engineering to understand that engineering is a people-business. 3) The last skill that is critical in the coming years is learning new skills and adapting. New technologies, design methods, and regulatory changes are coming fast and furiously these days.
The way we do many designs today is very different than just ten years ago. Some will say that Data Science is the skill you need. It is an increasingly important skill, but many skills and technologies emerge in the next decade that we can't even conceive right now. To be a successful practitioner in the new era, you have to learn these new skills, learn new skills a decade later, and then more skills the next decade.
What experience really stands out on Foundation Engineer resumes?
Dr. Bret Lingwall Ph.D.: Two quality internships. That said, excellent training is undergraduate research opportunities at your institution. These undergrad research experiences allow the professors to get to know you very well. In that way, employers have much more confidence in recommendations or references from faculty. Prospective employers see undergraduate research as an opportunity to learn special skills. Make sure that the unique gifts that you know are highlighted.
Whether obtained in the classroom, internship, or undergrad research, special skills are a considerable separator. Microsoft word is not a particular skill; it is a minimum that EVERYONE should be able to do. Computer-Aided Drafting is a skill. Even better is 3D point cloud manipulation or other 3D modeling skill. Laboratory skills are attractive. Field engineering skills are in high demand. Numerical modeling or advanced design skills on a resume catch the eye. Employers need to know what you can do for them. How will you make them money? Special skills!
What type of skills will young Foundation Engineers 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.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Foundation Engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Thomas L. Harman: Computer Engineering, which combines aspects of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been important in every advance in electronics technology over many decades. Examples include Personal Computers, the internet, the Internet of Things, and many medical applications and advances. Designing and maintaining these systems and products requires a thorough knowledge of modern hardware and software available to a designer.
Therefore, areas of the country with technical hubs for innovation are likely places for employment.
Link
Houston:
Top industries/employers: aeronautics, tourism, science, technology, medicine and healthcare, research, energy, renewable resources (wind, solar), manufacturing, transportation, education, oilfield equipment, entertainment and media, fashion, banking, real estate, distribution, and transportation.
Houston has manufacturing, medical, and space industries that rival any city in the U.S.
Houston, Austin, and Dallas/Fort Worth are cities in Texas.
How do you envision technology impacting Foundation Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Thomas L. Harman: Simulations: The increasing power of computer systems allows a realistic simulation of very complex systems.
First, we need to say that computer engineering brings technology into daily life. Projecting that Robotics and IoT will be the new big things (if they are not already!), there will be more job openings for computer engineers who can keep themselves up-to-date and can combine hardware and software.
Bethany Brinkman
Associate Professor and DirectorSweet Briar College
Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering Program
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Foundation Engineers to find work opportunities?
Bethany Brinkman: Historically, many of our graduates have gone to work for larger companies or government sub-contractors; however, during the pandemic, we saw many of these opportunities disappear due to hiring freezes or program reductions. Smaller, local companies stepped up and were more flexible in their hiring practices, so they could provide socially distant internships and employment. I think this is where Sweet Briar's general engineering degree is very helpful - our students have a broad base of knowledge, can adapt quickly, and communicate well, so they thrive in challenging circumstances.
How do you envision technology impacting Foundation Engineers in the next 5 years?
Bethany Brinkman: From a teaching standpoint, I would imagine that remote teaching technologies will continue to be integrated more into classroom learning. While hands-on learning is essential for engineering, a balance with remote teaching can provide additional experiences and resources. It was interesting to note how some students felt more comfortable participating in a remotely-led class - the introduction of an intermediate computer screen allowed them to feel more comfortable asking questions.
At Sweet Briar, we take pride in our small class sizes, and interactive curriculum, and these will not change, but I envision a greater use of technology to work closely with other schools and design clients. We have done this for clients in Brazil in our sophomore design class, Engineering Design in the Community, for many years, but the increase in technological acceptance will emphasize that even undergraduate engineers from rural Virginia can have a large impact on clients around the world. There are lots of implications for future engineering designs, too! How can engineering graduates create technologies that can be employed by a socially distant workforce? How can networks be strengthened to support an increasingly non-centralized society?
Andy Gerrick
Associate Professor and ChairEmbry-Riddle, Prescott
Department of Mechanical Engineering
How do you envision technology impacting Foundation Engineers in the next 5 years?
Andy Gerrick: Artificial intelligence will render many careers obsolete. I believe it will have a tremendous effect on engineering, but rather than replacing engineers, it will become our most valuable tool. I tell my students that many smart people predict the machines will become smarter than us and take over the world. However, I predict the last thing the machines will master is creativity, so the artists and the engineers will be the last ones standing.
How do you envision technology impacting Foundation Engineers in the next 5 years?
Adeeba Raheem Ph.D.: We are on the cusp of a transformation in the construction industry. Digitalization is going to be the new norm for the industry in the coming few years. A data-centric approach will help construction companies enhance productivity, improve safety practices, and optimize their decision-making process. We still have some significant challenges to adopt technology-based methods in construction. Still, these challenges can be turned into more immense opportunities using a systematic and collaborative approach of implementation.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Foundation Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.: Robotics and any technology that helps alleviate human contact to reduce the spread of disease. Robotics have been typically very expensive and used for space exploration or manufacturing, but we will see more applications of specific application-based robots in our everyday lives. This includes disinfecting robots, health monitoring robots in schools and community spaces and delivery services.
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Foundation Engineers?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.: Yes, just like children of the great depression, where previous generations became very frugal, reused, and saved almost everything, we will see the behaviors of pandemic graduates. They will not take anything for granted and always be looking at scenarios of risk and alternative sources to ensure they have a plan of action when materials, supplies, or even jobs are interrupted and lost. As engineers, we know we must always keep learning. Still, now we must think of ways to execute innovative ideas when traditional assumptions of manufacturing and supplies are not readily accessible or cost-effective to obtain or transport.
This generation will also have more empathy for those individuals that were essential to keeping our food supply moving. Yet, they are the most underserved populations and suffered the greatest losses due to the pandemic.