Civil Engineers Salary: $125,367 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 355,410 civil engineers nationally earn a mean of $125,367. Employment in the series shown rose about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Civil Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about civil engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a civil engineers?
Civil Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 355,410 workers.
What does a civil engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a civil engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $99,590 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $125,367 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $79,730 |
| 25th percentile | $97,017 |
| Median (50th) | $121,669 |
| 75th percentile | $149,691 |
| 90th percentile | $176,428 |
What education do you need?
For Civil Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Design, Engineering and Technology, Building and Construction, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is civil engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 24.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 355,410.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do civil engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 355,410 | 17.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 270,950 | 13.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 202,800 | 9.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 202,800 | 9.9% |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 196,550 | 9.6% |
| Engineering Services | 188,160 | 9.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Civil Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
| Materials Engineers | 22,770 | $108,310 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Civil Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
355,410 Workforce in 2023
The Civil Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Civil Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$125,367 Average Wage
In 2023, Civil Engineers earned an average of $125,367.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Civil Engineers.
Salary distribution for Civil Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
239,948 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.5%
267,492 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 24.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Civil Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Civil Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Civil Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Civil Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Civil Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Civil Engineers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 54,640 employees, $122,050 avg wage
- TX: 33,790 employees, $103,010 avg wage
- FL: 22,780 employees, $105,830 avg wage
- NY: 17,000 employees, $116,630 avg wage
- PA: 14,610 employees, $98,860 avg wage
- CO: 13,510 employees, N/A avg wage
- IL: 13,400 employees, $104,430 avg wage
- NC: 12,670 employees, $100,500 avg wage
- WA: 11,900 employees, $112,740 avg wage
- VA: 11,030 employees, $101,020 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Civil Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 16,390 employees, $116,920 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 14,570 employees, $121,640 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 11,270 employees, $110,460 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 10,070 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 9,920 employees, $134,970 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 8,870 employees, $107,650 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 8,300 employees, $116,860 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 8,280 employees, $108,530 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 7,830 employees, $103,410 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 7,250 employees, $116,330 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Civil Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Civil Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Civil Engineers in 2023 was 355,410 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Civil Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Civil Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Civil Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Civil Engineers in 2023 were Civil Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Civil Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Civil Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Civil Engineers.
Skills
Civil Engineers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Civil Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Civil Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Civil Engineers include Design, Engineering and Technology, Building and Construction, Mathematics, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Civil Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Civil Engineers include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Civil Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Civil Engineers.
Daily Activities
Civil Engineers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Civil Engineers.
About
Civil Engineers
The average yearly wage for Civil Engineers was $125,367 in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2051 - Civil Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Civil Engineers reports an average salary of $125,367, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 355,410 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.