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Water resources engineer salary
Average water resources engineer salary
$80,432
Understanding Water Resources Engineer Salaries
Water Resources Engineers play a vital role in managing and conserving water resources. As of October 2025, the average salary for these professionals is $80,432 annually, with variations depending on experience and geographic location. Entry-level positions typically start around $60,000 per year, while seasoned engineers can earn over $100,000 based on their expertise and responsibilities.
In terms of location, states like California and Texas offer some of the highest salaries for Water Resources Engineers. Additionally, professionals with specialized skills or certifications may command higher wages. Understanding these factors can help job seekers negotiate effectively and make informed career choices.
Furthermore, certain sectors, including government and private consulting firms, provide competitive compensation and benefits, enhancing overall job satisfaction. For those interested in pursuing a career in this field, exploring job opportunities on platforms like Zippia can lead to rewarding positions that align with personal and professional goals.
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Where can a Water Resources Engineer earn more?
Water resources engineer salaries by experience level
Water resources engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average water resources engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for water resources engineers are California, Maine, and Idaho. The lowest average water resources engineer salary states are Alabama, Wyoming, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for water resources engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $95,708 | $46.01 |
| 2 | California | $101,711 | $48.90 |
| 3 | Maine | $95,719 | $46.02 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $93,797 | $45.09 |
| 5 | Washington | $87,530 | $42.08 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $85,740 | $41.22 |
| 7 | Texas | $86,932 | $41.79 |
| 8 | Arizona | $85,174 | $40.95 |
| 9 | Nevada | $85,821 | $41.26 |
| 10 | Vermont | $84,837 | $40.79 |
| 11 | Oregon | $85,015 | $40.87 |
| 12 | Alaska | $87,540 | $42.09 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $86,191 | $41.44 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $87,302 | $41.97 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $86,429 | $41.55 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $82,780 | $39.80 |
| 17 | Michigan | $81,348 | $39.11 |
| 18 | Delaware | $79,630 | $38.28 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $80,867 | $38.88 |
| 20 | Colorado | $79,939 | $38.43 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $83,494 | $40.14 |
| 22 | Virginia | $78,853 | $37.91 |
| 23 | Maryland | $79,576 | $38.26 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $76,982 | $37.01 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $80,141 | $38.53 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $79,730 | $38.33 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $78,033 | $37.52 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $78,771 | $37.87 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $76,174 | $36.62 |
| 30 | New York | $77,592 | $37.30 |
| 31 | Illinois | $75,565 | $36.33 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $80,108 | $38.51 |
| 33 | Iowa | $75,093 | $36.10 |
| 34 | Utah | $71,355 | $34.31 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $73,982 | $35.57 |
| 36 | Kansas | $74,496 | $35.82 |
| 37 | Georgia | $71,266 | $34.26 |
| 38 | Florida | $71,859 | $34.55 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $67,496 | $32.45 |
| 40 | Montana | $72,877 | $35.04 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $69,102 | $33.22 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $66,287 | $31.87 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $70,841 | $34.06 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $63,300 | $30.43 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $70,101 | $33.70 |
| 46 | Indiana | $66,549 | $31.99 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $67,161 | $32.29 |
| 48 | Ohio | $65,591 | $31.53 |
| 49 | Alabama | $66,296 | $31.87 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $64,929 | $31.22 |
| 51 | Missouri | $62,800 | $30.19 |
Highest paying cities for water resources engineers
The highest-paying cities for water resources engineers are Sacramento, CA, Portland, ME, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento, CA | $104,694 | $50.33 |
| 2 | Portland, ME | $96,117 | $46.21 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $93,762 | $45.08 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $88,051 | $42.33 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $87,958 | $42.29 |
| 6 | Baton Rouge, LA | $87,572 | $42.10 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $86,275 | $41.48 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $85,254 | $40.99 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $84,482 | $40.62 |
| 10 | Mahwah, NJ | $80,031 | $38.48 |
| 11 | Englewood, CO | $79,963 | $38.44 |
| 12 | Baltimore, MD | $79,710 | $38.32 |
| 13 | Reston, VA | $79,563 | $38.25 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $77,753 | $37.38 |
| 15 | Philadelphia, PA | $76,455 | $36.76 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $75,685 | $36.39 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $72,564 | $34.89 |
| 18 | Billings, MT | $71,921 | $34.58 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $71,159 | $34.21 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | $71,156 | $34.21 |
Water resources engineer salary details
A water resources engineer's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $111,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a water resources engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $111,000 | $9,250 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| Average | $80,432 | $6,703 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
Highest paying water resources engineer jobs
The highest paying types of water resources engineers are director water and waste services, water engineer, and wastewater design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Water/Wastewater Engineer | $85,682 | $7,140 | $41.19 | 7,052 |
| Wastewater Project Engineer | $76,181 | $6,348 | $36.63 | 23,130 |
| Water Engineer | $98,752 | $8,229 | $47.48 | 8,851 |
Top companies hiring water resources engineers now:
Which companies pay water resources engineers the most?
Water resources engineer salaries at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and ERG are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average water resources engineer salary at companies like Parsons and Dynamics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $95,678 | $46.00 |
| 2 | ERG | $91,050 | $43.77 |
| 3 | Parsons | $90,519 | $43.52 |
| 4 | Dynamics | $89,378 | $42.97 |
| 5 | Northrop Grumman | $87,262 | $41.95 |
| 6 | ATCS | $86,690 | $41.68 |
| 7 | California Department of Technology | $85,870 | $41.28 |
| 8 | Albemarle | $85,732 | $41.22 |
| 9 | Ormat Technologies | $85,522 | $41.12 |
| 10 | Parkhill | $84,554 | $40.65 |
| 11 | Rizzo Services | $82,852 | $39.83 |
| 12 | Nolte & Associates Inc | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 13 | P B Holdings | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 14 | Colorado State Express | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 15 | CONSOR Engineers | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 16 | URS E&C Holdings Inc | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 17 | Amec Foster Wheeler | $82,811 | $39.81 |
| 18 | Jacobs Enterprises | $82,801 | $39.81 |
| 19 | The Davey Tree Expert Company | $82,616 | $39.72 |
| 20 | CDM Smith | $82,506 | $39.67 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Water Resources Engineer salary by industry
The average water resources engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average water resources engineer salary in the manufacturing industry is $82,911, the highest of any industry.
- The average water resources engineer salary in the finance industry is $80,374.
- Water resources engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $76,524, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for water resources engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $82,911 | $39.86 |
| 2 | Technology | $80,374 | $38.64 |
| 3 | Construction | $79,029 | $37.99 |
| 4 | Professional | $76,524 | $36.79 |
High paying water resources engineer jobs
Water resources engineer salary trends
The average water resources engineer salary has risen by $11,412 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average water resources engineer earned $69,020 annually, but today, they earn $80,432 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for water resources engineers over the last decade.
Compare water resources engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average water resources engineer salary over time
Compare water resources engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Water resources engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $80,400 | $38.67 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $77,600 | $37.30 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $76,500 | $36.78 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $75,800 | $36.44 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $74,100 | $35.63 | +0.4% |
Recently added water resources engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barr Systems | Water Resources Engineer-Mid Level (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| Cogent Talent Solutions | Water Resources Engineer | San Antonio, TX | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Stvinc | Civil/Water Resources Engineer | Newark, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $114,960 |
| Brevard County, Fl | Engineer III-Natural Resources | Brevard, NC | 06/28/2025 | $100,378 |
| Farnsworth Group Inc. | Water Resources Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/25/2025 | $95,000 |
| Actalent | Water Resources Engineer | Virginia Beach, VA | 06/25/2025 | $70,000 |
| WSP | Civil Design Engineer, Water Resources Engineering | Providence, RI | 06/21/2025 | $75,600 |
| Straughan Environmental | Mid-Level Water Resource Engineer | Columbia, MD | 06/21/2025 | $90,000 |
| Engeo | Water Resources Engineer/Hydrologist | San Ramon, CA | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| Jub Engineers Inc. | Dam & Water Resources Engineer (P.E | Reno, NV | 06/20/2025 | $95,000 |
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