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Civil Engineer Average Salary in United States 2024

How much money does a person working as Civil Engineer make in United States?


Average Yearly Salary
85,600 USD
( 7,130 USD monthly)

LOW
41,100
USD
AVERAGE
85,600
USD
HIGH
134,000
USD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Civil Engineer in United States typically earns around 85,600 USD. Salaries range from 41,100 USD (lowest) to 134,000 USD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Civil Engineer salaries in United States vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Civil Engineer Pay Scale and Salaries in United States

Median and salary distribution United States Civil Engineer yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
79,900 USD or more
10% of people earn
70,400 to 79,900 USD
20% of people earn
49,500 USD or less
65% of people earn
49,500 to 70,400 USD
Minimum Salary
41,100 USD
Median
80,500 USD
Maximum
134,000 USD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Civil Engineer in United States range from 41,100 USD (starting salary) to 134,000 USD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 80,500 USD, half of the professionals who work as Civil Engineer in United States earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Civil Engineer in United States earn less than 65,500 USD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 92,200 USD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Civil Engineer in United States compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 49,500 USD to 70,400 USD. About 20% of salaries are below the 49,500 USD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 70,400 USD to 79,900 USD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 79,900 USD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Civil Engineer / United States

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
48,100 USD
2 - 5 Years+42%
68,100 USD
5 - 10 Years+31%
89,600 USD
10 - 15 Years+23%
110,000 USD
15 - 20 Years+6%
117,000 USD
20+ Years+10%
128,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly United States Civil Engineer
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Civil Engineer and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 48,100 USD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 68,100 USD, 42% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 89,600 USD, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 110,000 USD, 23% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 117,000 USD, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 128,000 USD, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Civil Engineer / United States

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Civil Engineer.

Bachelor's Degree
75,600 USD
Master's Degree+43%
108,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly United States Civil Engineer
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Civil Engineer in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 75,600 USD.


Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 108,000 USD, 43% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United States costs anywhere from 39,600 USD to 119,000 USD and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.

You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.

Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Civil Engineer / United States

Salary comparison by gender United States Civil Engineer yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Civil Engineer in United States, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.

Male
87,800 USD
Female-5%
83,700 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in United States for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly United States
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Civil Engineer / United States

How much are annual salary increments in United States for individuals working as Civil Engineer? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Civil Engineer in United States are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States Civil Engineer
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

United States / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in United States is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Civil Engineer / United States

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate United States Civil Engineer
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42% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 58% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Civil Engineer / United States


41 USD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Civil Engineer in United States is 41 USD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Civil Engineer in United States is 20 USD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Engineering-100%
3D Printing Engineer78,700 USD-8%
Acoustics Engineer78,200 USD-9%
Assembly Engineering Technician64,700 USD-24%
Assistant Chief Engineer96,600 USD+13%
Associate Engineer78,500 USD-8%
AutoCAD Drafter50,600 USD-41%
Autocad Operator52,600 USD-39%
Automation Engineer93,400 USD+9%
Avionic System Support Engineer77,700 USD-9%
Biochemical Engineer83,100 USD-3%
BMS Engineer81,700 USD-5%
Bridge and Lock Tender48,000 USD-44%
Broadcast Engineer81,500 USD-5%
CAD Design Engineer91,400 USD+7%
CAD Designer51,600 USD-40%
CAE Engineer82,300 USD-4%
Ceramics Engineer81,300 USD-5%
Chemical Engineer83,000 USD-3%
Civil Drafter51,100 USD-40%
Civil Engineer85,600 USD+0%
Civil Site Engineer84,900 USD-1%
Civil Technician51,600 USD-40%
Cognitive Engineer78,500 USD-8%
Commissioning Engineer86,700 USD+1%
Communications Engineer92,600 USD+8%
Condition Monitoring Engineer74,600 USD-13%
Contract Associate Engineer84,600 USD-1%
Contract Engineer78,900 USD-8%
Control Systems Engineer80,800 USD-6%
Controls Engineer86,500 USD+1%
Controls Software Engineer74,700 USD-13%
Corrosion Engineer76,800 USD-10%
Design Engineer87,400 USD+2%
Director of Engineering175,000 USD+100%
Drafter52,200 USD-39%
Drafting Manager98,800 USD+15%
Drilling Engineer85,500 USD-0%
Drilling Foreman25,800 USD-70%
Electrical Draughtsman41,500 USD-51%
Electrical Engineer90,000 USD+5%
Electrical Engineering Manager121,000 USD+41%
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist95,100 USD+11%
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler43,300 USD-49%
Energy Engineer86,900 USD+2%
Engine Assembler39,900 USD-53%
Engineer91,700 USD+7%
Engineering Account Manager98,000 USD+15%
Engineering Chief Designer97,100 USD+13%
Engineering Consultant116,000 USD+36%
Engineering Key Account Manager118,000 USD+38%
Engineering Lab Technician81,300 USD-5%
Engineering Manager123,000 USD+44%
Engineering Planning Manager114,000 USD+33%
Engineering Production Manager156,000 USD+82%
Engineering Project Analyst98,900 USD+16%
Engineering Project Coordinator 99,700 USD+17%
Engineering Project Director173,000 USD+100%
Engineering Project Leader110,000 USD+29%
Engineering Project Manager122,000 USD+43%
Engineering Research and Development Manager143,000 USD+67%
Engineering Safety Coordinator69,000 USD-19%
Engineering Sales Manager120,000 USD+40%
Engineering Technician67,700 USD-21%
Engineering Technologist66,100 USD-23%
Environmental Engineer87,500 USD+2%
Equipment Engineer76,000 USD-11%
Equipment Engineering Manager113,000 USD+32%
Estimator74,200 USD-13%
Fabrication Specialist61,900 USD-28%
Fabricator37,000 USD-57%
Facade Engineer81,100 USD-5%
Fiber Analyst47,500 USD-44%
Field Engineer91,700 USD+7%
Field Engineering Manager139,000 USD+62%
Fire Engineer88,700 USD+4%
Fitter and Turner26,400 USD-69%
Forestry Strategic Planner98,000 USD+15%
Generation Engineer89,300 USD+4%
Genetic Engineer90,700 USD+6%
Geological Engineer91,700 USD+7%
Geotechnical Engineer90,100 USD+5%
Heavy Equipment Mechanic45,400 USD-47%
Highway Engineer86,800 USD+1%
HSE Professional82,900 USD-3%
Human Machine Interface Engineer77,000 USD-10%
HVAC Engineer86,300 USD+1%
HVAC Supervisor80,600 USD-6%
Industrial Engineer80,400 USD-6%
Industrial Engineering Technologist79,200 USD-7%
Instrument Engineer84,200 USD-2%
Instrument Technician48,900 USD-43%
Instrumentation and Control Engineer82,100 USD-4%
Instrumentation Designer72,300 USD-15%
Instrumentation Engineer82,900 USD-3%
Instrumentation Manager87,000 USD+2%
Irrigation Engineer83,500 USD-2%
Licensed Aircraft Engineer90,300 USD+6%
Locomotive Engineer82,500 USD-4%
Maintenance Engineer83,000 USD-3%
Maintenance Fitter30,500 USD-64%
Maintenance Manager84,500 USD-1%
Manufacturing Engineer79,400 USD-7%
Marine Engineer85,300 USD-0%
Materials Engineer85,600 USD+0%
Materials Researcher79,000 USD-8%
Materials Technician64,100 USD-25%
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer90,400 USD+6%
Mechanical Design Engineer87,500 USD+2%
Mechanical Designer73,000 USD-15%
Mechanical Engineer86,500 USD+1%
Mechanical Engineering Manager117,000 USD+37%
Mechanical Inspector84,300 USD-1%
Mechatronics Engineer86,700 USD+1%
Mining Engineer82,800 USD-3%
Nanotechnology Engineer88,300 USD+3%
Natural Language Processing Engineer97,100 USD+13%
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer96,700 USD+13%
Optical Engineer84,600 USD-1%
Optical Instrument Assembler41,100 USD-52%
PCB Assembler30,800 USD-64%
Photonics Engineer91,100 USD+6%
Photonics Technician76,500 USD-11%
Pipeline Engineer74,600 USD-13%
Piping Designer45,500 USD-47%
Piping Engineer79,100 USD-8%
Planning Engineer82,200 USD-4%
Pressure Vessel Inspector41,800 USD-51%
Principal Cost Engineer85,800 USD+0%
Principal Engineer86,400 USD+1%
Principal Support Engineer88,900 USD+4%
Process Engineer81,700 USD-5%
Process Operator49,400 USD-42%
Product Development Engineer88,500 USD+3%
Product Development Technician61,500 USD-28%
Product Engineer91,000 USD+6%
Product Safety Engineer78,100 USD-9%
Production Engineer80,900 USD-5%
Project Engineer86,100 USD+1%
Proposal Manager113,000 USD+32%
Purchasing Engineer75,300 USD-12%
Quality Assurance Engineer83,100 USD-3%
Rail Engineer87,000 USD+2%
Regional Field Engineer91,400 USD+7%
Remote Sensing Engineer85,000 USD-1%
Robotics Engineer96,800 USD+13%
Robotics Technician72,100 USD-16%
Safety Engineer88,700 USD+4%
Safety Inspector69,300 USD-19%
Safety Manager98,700 USD+15%
Safety Officer44,600 USD-48%
Sales Engineer92,300 USD+8%
Scheduling Engineer80,400 USD-6%
Security Engineer94,500 USD+10%
Service Engineer93,100 USD+9%
Smart Home Engineer89,100 USD+4%
Solar Engineer92,200 USD+8%
Staff Engineer87,200 USD+2%
Static Equipment Engineer85,500 USD-0%
Stationary Engineer73,700 USD-14%
Stress Engineer82,500 USD-4%
Structural Analysis Engineer81,000 USD-5%
Structural Designer72,300 USD-15%
Structural Engineer83,400 USD-3%
Structural Technician56,300 USD-34%
Subsea Engineer104,000 USD+22%
Supply Chain Specialist86,900 USD+2%
Surveyor65,000 USD-24%
Technical Affairs Officer44,900 USD-48%
Technical Assistant44,300 USD-48%
Technical Engineer75,400 USD-12%
Technical Support Engineer74,600 USD-13%
Tender Engineer78,000 USD-9%
Test Development Engineer84,500 USD-1%
Test Engineer86,700 USD+1%
Transportation Engineer78,500 USD-8%
Urban Engineer83,500 USD-2%
Validation Engineer73,000 USD-15%
Verification Engineer81,800 USD-4%
Wastewater Engineer84,900 USD-1%
Wind Energy Engineer88,100 USD+3%
Wind Energy Operations Manager119,000 USD+39%
Wireless Engineer93,200 USD+9%
Work Planner62,200 USD-27%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Boston92,500 USD
Chicago105,000 USD
Houston102,000 USD
Las Vegas86,800 USD
Los Angeles107,000 USD
New York102,000 USD
San Francisco94,300 USD
San Jose101,000 USD

Salary Comparison By State

StateAverage Salary
Alabama90,700 USD
Alaska75,700 USD
Arizona95,300 USD
Arkansas84,300 USD
California102,000 USD
Colorado88,000 USD
Connecticut90,300 USD
Delaware80,300 USD
District of Columbia75,100 USD
Florida99,000 USD
Georgia93,000 USD
Hawaii84,100 USD
Idaho80,400 USD
Illinois100,000 USD
Indiana91,800 USD
Iowa89,700 USD
Kansas85,900 USD
Kentucky84,600 USD
Louisiana89,600 USD
Maine78,900 USD
Maryland94,300 USD
Massachusetts90,200 USD
Michigan99,000 USD
Minnesota89,600 USD
Mississippi89,100 USD
Missouri91,500 USD
Montana77,400 USD
Nebraska84,600 USD
Nevada82,600 USD
New Hampshire83,800 USD
New Jersey93,200 USD
New Mexico87,500 USD
New York97,800 USD
North Carolina91,000 USD
North Dakota78,600 USD
Ohio93,000 USD
Oklahoma89,400 USD
Oregon85,600 USD
Pennsylvania100,000 USD
Rhode Island78,800 USD
South Carolina93,400 USD
South Dakota79,800 USD
Tennessee88,800 USD
Texas100,000 USD
Utah81,500 USD
Vermont79,900 USD
Virginia92,800 USD
Washington97,200 USD
West Virginia82,600 USD
Wisconsin95,600 USD
Wyoming77,400 USD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in United States is 5% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
92,800 USD
Public Sector+5%
97,500 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Civil Engineer in United States?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 80,500 USD and 92,200 USD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Civil Engineer in United States ranges from 41,100 USD to 65,500 USD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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