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Geotechnical engineer salary
Average geotechnical engineer salary
$74,831
Average Geotechnical Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a geotechnical engineer is around $74,831 annually. This figure may fluctuate based on various factors, including experience levels, geographic location, and specific job roles within the engineering sector. For instance, entry-level positions typically offer lower salaries, while experienced professionals can command significantly higher pay.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level geotechnical engineers can expect to earn approximately $60,000, while those with over a decade of experience may see their salaries rise above $90,000. Advanced roles in project management or specialized engineering can exceed $100,000 annually.
Geographic Salary Variations
Salaries for geotechnical engineers also vary widely by state. For example, states with significant infrastructure projects, such as California and Texas, often offer higher wages. Understanding these geographic discrepancies is essential for job seekers aiming to maximize their earning potential.
Exploring Opportunities
In addition to salary, potential job seekers should consider opportunities for growth and advancement within the geotechnical field. With ongoing developments in construction and environmental projects, the demand for skilled engineers is expected to rise, creating a wealth of opportunities for aspiring professionals.
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Where can a Geotechnical Engineer earn more?
Geotechnical engineer salaries by experience level
Geotechnical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average geotechnical engineer salary by state
The average geotechnical engineer salary in Alaska, California, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average geotechnical engineer salary states are Georgia, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for geotechnical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $99,561 | $47.87 |
| 2 | Oregon | $81,350 | $39.11 |
| 3 | Washington | $80,036 | $38.48 |
| 4 | Virginia | $77,495 | $37.26 |
| 5 | California | $85,231 | $40.98 |
| 6 | Maine | $74,044 | $35.60 |
| 7 | Arizona | $74,511 | $35.82 |
| 8 | Colorado | $74,857 | $35.99 |
| 9 | Delaware | $74,134 | $35.64 |
| 10 | Nevada | $72,072 | $34.65 |
| 11 | New York | $77,801 | $37.40 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $72,453 | $34.83 |
| 13 | Vermont | $73,467 | $35.32 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $73,822 | $35.49 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $74,250 | $35.70 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $72,655 | $34.93 |
| 17 | Alabama | $69,962 | $33.64 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $74,573 | $35.85 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $68,925 | $33.14 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $74,218 | $35.68 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $71,441 | $34.35 |
| 22 | Idaho | $71,147 | $34.21 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $75,281 | $36.19 |
| 24 | Utah | $69,531 | $33.43 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $70,605 | $33.94 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $73,108 | $35.15 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $69,713 | $33.52 |
| 28 | Michigan | $67,413 | $32.41 |
| 29 | Montana | $67,818 | $32.60 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $70,407 | $33.85 |
| 31 | Missouri | $70,076 | $33.69 |
| 32 | Texas | $68,538 | $32.95 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $67,192 | $32.30 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $66,786 | $32.11 |
| 35 | Maryland | $66,792 | $32.11 |
| 36 | Illinois | $68,487 | $32.93 |
| 37 | Indiana | $66,372 | $31.91 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $68,860 | $33.11 |
| 39 | Florida | $65,096 | $31.30 |
| 40 | Iowa | $66,194 | $31.82 |
| 41 | Ohio | $63,926 | $30.73 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $63,019 | $30.30 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,178 | $31.82 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $52,644 | $25.31 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $58,445 | $28.10 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $62,155 | $29.88 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $60,775 | $29.22 |
| 48 | Georgia | $61,950 | $29.78 |
| 49 | Kansas | $64,233 | $30.88 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $59,919 | $28.81 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $57,393 | $27.59 |
Highest paying cities for geotechnical engineers
The highest-paying cities for geotechnical engineers are Anchorage, AK, Sacramento, CA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage, AK | $99,890 | $48.02 |
| 2 | Sacramento, CA | $89,360 | $42.96 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $81,293 | $39.08 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $80,643 | $38.77 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $77,802 | $37.40 |
| 6 | Virginia Beach, VA | $77,473 | $37.25 |
| 7 | Clifton, NJ | $75,325 | $36.21 |
| 8 | Reno, NV | $75,229 | $36.17 |
| 9 | Lakewood, CO | $74,896 | $36.01 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $74,619 | $35.87 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | $74,566 | $35.85 |
| 12 | Portland, ME | $74,251 | $35.70 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City, OK | $74,001 | $35.58 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge, LA | $72,489 | $34.85 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $71,569 | $34.41 |
| 16 | Kansas City, MO | $70,123 | $33.71 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $69,496 | $33.41 |
| 18 | Fort Worth, TX | $68,981 | $33.16 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh, PA | $68,639 | $33.00 |
| 20 | Chicago, IL | $68,543 | $32.95 |
Geotechnical engineer salary details
A geotechnical engineer's salary ranges from $56,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $99,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a geotechnical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 75th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| Average | $74,831 | $6,236 | $36 |
| 25th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| 10th Percentile | $56,000 | $4,667 | $27 |
Highest paying geotechnical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of geotechnical engineers are staff 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 |
| Civil Engineering Internship | $52,597 | $4,383 | $25.29 | 109,733 |
| Structural Designer | $63,273 | $5,273 | $30.42 | 51,432 |
| Environmental Engineering Internship | $36,235 | $3,020 | $17.42 | 112,274 |
| Structural Engineering Internship | $47,072 | $3,923 | $22.63 | 105,826 |
| Structures Engineer | $73,391 | $6,116 | $35.28 | 20,778 |
Top companies hiring geotechnical engineers now:
Which companies pay geotechnical engineers the most?
Geotechnical engineer salaries at BP America Inc and Bayer are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average geotechnical engineer salary at companies like Tampa General Hospital and Arizona Public Service are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BP America Inc | $106,300 | $51.11 |
| 2 | Bayer | $94,241 | $45.31 |
| 3 | Tampa General Hospital | $89,818 | $43.18 |
| 4 | Arizona Public Service | $83,015 | $39.91 |
| 5 | Medical Billing | $82,353 | $39.59 |
| 6 | Holtec International | $82,223 | $39.53 |
| 7 | Newmont | $81,408 | $39.14 |
| 8 | Freeport-McMoRan | $81,340 | $39.11 |
| 9 | Timmons Group | $80,996 | $38.94 |
| 10 | Technip USA Corporation | $80,975 | $38.93 |
| 11 | AB Consultants | $80,794 | $38.84 |
| 12 | Ch2M Hill | $80,486 | $38.70 |
| 13 | CME Associates | $80,419 | $38.66 |
| 14 | Barrick Gold | $80,277 | $38.59 |
| 15 | Parsons | $80,270 | $38.59 |
| 16 | KS Engineers | $79,960 | $38.44 |
| 17 | Resolution Copper | $79,889 | $38.41 |
| 18 | CDM Smith | $79,885 | $38.41 |
| 19 | Kinsley Power Systems | $78,971 | $37.97 |
| 20 | The Mountain | $78,967 | $37.96 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Geotechnical Engineer salary by industry
The average geotechnical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average geotechnical engineer salary in the manufacturing industry is $78,584, the highest of any industry.
- The average geotechnical engineer salary in the finance industry is $78,524.
- Geotechnical engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $74,261, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for geotechnical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $78,584 | $37.78 |
| 2 | Technology | $78,524 | $37.75 |
| 3 | Construction | $74,460 | $35.80 |
| 4 | Government | $74,347 | $35.74 |
| 5 | Professional | $74,261 | $35.70 |
High paying geotechnical engineer jobs
Geotechnical engineer salary trends
The average geotechnical engineer salary has risen by $8,939 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average geotechnical engineer earned $65,892 annually, but today, they earn $74,831 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for geotechnical engineers over the last decade.
Compare geotechnical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average geotechnical engineer salary over time
Compare geotechnical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Geotechnical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $74,800 | $35.98 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $73,600 | $35.36 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $73,200 | $35.19 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $71,600 | $34.43 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $70,600 | $33.93 | +1.6% |
Recently added geotechnical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEI Consultants | Project Geotechnical Engineer | Oakland, CA | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Tacoma, WA | 06/29/2025 | $99,800 |
| Akrf, Inc. | Geotechnical Engineer | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Novato, CA | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Houston, TX | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Portland, ME | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
| Ramboll | Senior Geotechnical Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $114,000 |
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