Civil Engineer Average Salary in San Francisco 2024
How much money does a person working as Civil Engineer make in San Francisco?
LOW
44,300
USD AVERAGE
94,300
USD HIGH
149,000
USD
A person working as Civil Engineer in San Francisco typically earns around 94,300 USD. Salaries range from 44,300 USD (lowest) to 149,000 USD (highest).
Salary Variance
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Civil Engineer salaries in San Francisco 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 San Francisco
Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison
88,800 USD or more
78,000 to 88,800 USD
54,300 USD or less
54,300 to 78,000 USD
 44,300 USD |
89,400 USD |
149,000 USD |
Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range
Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary
Salaries for the position Civil Engineer in San Francisco range from 44,300 USD (starting salary) to 149,000 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 89,400 USD, half of the professionals who work as Civil Engineer in San Francisco 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 San Francisco earn less than 72,400 USD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 103,000 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 San Francisco compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 54,300 USD to 78,000 USD. About 20% of salaries are below the 54,300 USD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 78,000 USD to 88,800 USD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 88,800 USD.
Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Civil Engineer / San Francisco
How do experience and age affect pay?
| 0 - 2 Years | 51,100 USD | |
| 2 - 5 Years | +38% | 70,500 USD |
| 5 - 10 Years | +42% | 100,000 USD |
| 10 - 15 Years | +22% | 122,000 USD |
| 15 - 20 Years | +6% | 129,000 USD |
| 20+ Years | +9% | 141,000 USD |
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.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 51,100 USD.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 70,500 USD, 38% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 100,000 USD, 42% 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 122,000 USD, 22% 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 129,000 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 141,000 USD, 9% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers
Salary Comparison By Education / Civil Engineer / San Francisco
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 | 70,500 USD | |
| Master's Degree | +83% | 129,000 USD |
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 70,500 USD.
Level 2: Master's Degree
At this level, the average salary becomes 129,000 USD, 83% 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 and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Civil Engineer / San Francisco
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 |
Salary Comparison By Gender in United States for all Careers
Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Civil Engineer / San Francisco
How much are annual salary increments in San Francisco 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 % every months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
United States / All Professions
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
Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs
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?
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100% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while % said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from % to % of their annual salary.
| Received Bonus | % | |
| No Bonus | 100% |
Types of Bonuses Considered
Individual Performance-Based BonusesThe most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, 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 BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese 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 Generators | Supporting 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: | Example: |
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.
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 / San Francisco
45 USD per hourThe average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Civil Engineer in San Francisco is 45 USD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.
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 San Francisco is 21 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 Title | Average Salary |
| Engineering |  -100% | |
| 3D Printing Engineer | 80,000 USD | -15% |
| Acoustics Engineer | 91,500 USD | -3% |
| Assembly Engineering Technician | 74,100 USD | -21% |
| Assistant Chief Engineer | 102,000 USD |  +8% |
| Associate Engineer | 86,500 USD | -8% |
| AutoCAD Drafter | 54,700 USD | -42% |
| Autocad Operator | 60,300 USD | -36% |
| Automation Engineer | 101,000 USD | +7% |
| Avionic System Support Engineer | 85,700 USD | -9% |
| Biochemical Engineer | 82,900 USD | -12% |
| BMS Engineer | 86,500 USD | -8% |
| Bridge and Lock Tender | 49,900 USD | -47% |
| Broadcast Engineer | 86,200 USD | -9% |
| CAD Design Engineer | 98,700 USD | +5% |
| CAD Designer | 56,900 USD | -40% |
| CAE Engineer | 88,800 USD | -6% |
| Ceramics Engineer | 87,800 USD | -7% |
| Chemical Engineer | 97,100 USD | +3% |
| Civil Drafter | 55,200 USD | -41% |
| Civil Engineer | 94,300 USD | +0% |
| Civil Site Engineer | 97,400 USD | +3% |
| Civil Technician | 54,600 USD | -42% |
| Cognitive Engineer | 83,100 USD | -12% |
| Commissioning Engineer | 90,000 USD | -5% |
| Communications Engineer | 100,000 USD | +6% |
| Condition Monitoring Engineer | 79,000 USD | -16% |
| Contract Associate Engineer | 84,400 USD | -10% |
| Contract Engineer | 88,700 USD | -6% |
| Control Systems Engineer | 90,900 USD | -4% |
| Controls Engineer | 91,600 USD | -3% |
| Controls Software Engineer | 77,400 USD | -18% |
| Corrosion Engineer | 87,900 USD | -7% |
| Design Engineer | 98,100 USD | +4% |
| Director of Engineering | 178,000 USD | +89% |
| Drafter | 56,400 USD | -40% |
| Drafting Manager | 109,000 USD | +16% |
| Drilling Engineer | 88,700 USD | -6% |
| Drilling Foreman | 27,300 USD | -71% |
| Electrical Draughtsman | 44,800 USD | -52% |
| Electrical Engineer | 105,000 USD | +11% |
| Electrical Engineering Manager | 131,000 USD | +39% |
| Electromechanical Engineering Technologist | 103,000 USD | +9% |
| Electromechanical Equipment Assembler | 47,700 USD | -49% |
| Energy Engineer | 97,700 USD | +4% |
| Engine Assembler | 42,300 USD | -55% |
| Engineer | 101,000 USD | +7% |
| Engineering Account Manager | 110,000 USD | +17% |
| Engineering Chief Designer | 103,000 USD | +9% |
| Engineering Consultant | 127,000 USD | +35% |
| Engineering Key Account Manager | 133,000 USD | +41% |
| Engineering Lab Technician | 91,300 USD | -3% |
| Engineering Manager | 133,000 USD | +41% |
| Engineering Planning Manager | 131,000 USD | +39% |
| Engineering Production Manager | 159,000 USD | +69% |
| Engineering Project Analyst | 107,000 USD | +13% |
| Engineering Project Coordinator | 106,000 USD | +12% |
| Engineering Project Director | 191,000 USD | +100% |
| Engineering Project Leader | 116,000 USD | +23% |
| Engineering Project Manager | 127,000 USD | +35% |
| Engineering Research and Development Manager | 152,000 USD | +61% |
| Engineering Safety Coordinator | 71,700 USD | -24% |
| Engineering Sales Manager | 129,000 USD | +37% |
| Engineering Technician | 70,200 USD | -26% |
| Engineering Technologist | 74,300 USD | -21% |
| Environmental Engineer | 89,100 USD | -6% |
| Equipment Engineer | 87,100 USD | -8% |
| Equipment Engineering Manager | 120,000 USD | +27% |
| Estimator | 80,100 USD | -15% |
| Fabrication Specialist | 62,900 USD | -33% |
| Fabricator | 42,500 USD | -55% |
| Facade Engineer | 89,300 USD | -5% |
| Fiber Analyst | 50,300 USD | -47% |
| Field Engineer | 99,000 USD | +5% |
| Field Engineering Manager | 153,000 USD | +62% |
| Fire Engineer | 95,800 USD | +2% |
| Fitter and Turner | 29,100 USD | -69% |
| Forestry Strategic Planner | 104,000 USD | +10% |
| Generation Engineer | 89,000 USD | -6% |
| Genetic Engineer | 100,000 USD | +6% |
| Geological Engineer | 91,500 USD | -3% |
| Geotechnical Engineer | 101,000 USD | +7% |
| Heavy Equipment Mechanic | 48,100 USD | -49% |
| Highway Engineer | 90,100 USD | -4% |
| HSE Professional | 86,100 USD | -9% |
| Human Machine Interface Engineer | 79,800 USD | -15% |
| HVAC Engineer | 101,000 USD | +7% |
| HVAC Supervisor | 83,700 USD | -11% |
| Industrial Engineer | 86,900 USD | -8% |
| Industrial Engineering Technologist | 85,500 USD | -9% |
| Instrument Engineer | 91,000 USD | -3% |
| Instrument Technician | 51,900 USD | -45% |
| Instrumentation and Control Engineer | 88,700 USD | -6% |
| Instrumentation Designer | 79,600 USD | -16% |
| Instrumentation Engineer | 91,300 USD | -3% |
| Instrumentation Manager | 88,500 USD | -6% |
| Irrigation Engineer | 92,000 USD | -2% |
| Licensed Aircraft Engineer | 102,000 USD | +8% |
| Locomotive Engineer | 89,100 USD | -6% |
| Maintenance Engineer | 84,400 USD | -10% |
| Maintenance Fitter | 33,000 USD | -65% |
| Maintenance Manager | 93,000 USD | -1% |
| Manufacturing Engineer | 91,000 USD | -3% |
| Marine Engineer | 90,300 USD | -4% |
| Materials Engineer | 92,500 USD | -2% |
| Materials Researcher | 88,800 USD | -6% |
| Materials Technician | 69,200 USD | -27% |
| Mechanical and Electrical Engineer | 99,600 USD | +6% |
| Mechanical Design Engineer | 94,500 USD | +0% |
| Mechanical Designer | 80,400 USD | -15% |
| Mechanical Engineer | 95,400 USD | +1% |
| Mechanical Engineering Manager | 132,000 USD | +40% |
| Mechanical Inspector | 87,500 USD | -7% |
| Mechatronics Engineer | 102,000 USD | +8% |
| Mining Engineer | 89,500 USD | -5% |
| Nanotechnology Engineer | 95,300 USD | +1% |
| Natural Language Processing Engineer | 98,800 USD | +5% |
| Oil and Petrochemical Engineer | 102,000 USD | +8% |
| Optical Engineer | 87,800 USD | -7% |
| Optical Instrument Assembler | 48,100 USD | -49% |
| PCB Assembler | 33,300 USD | -65% |
| Photonics Engineer | 102,000 USD | +8% |
| Photonics Technician | 79,300 USD | -16% |
| Pipeline Engineer | 82,200 USD | -13% |
| Piping Designer | 51,200 USD | -46% |
| Piping Engineer | 82,000 USD | -13% |
| Planning Engineer | 94,400 USD | +0% |
| Pressure Vessel Inspector | 43,400 USD | -54% |
| Principal Cost Engineer | 96,400 USD | +2% |
| Principal Engineer | 93,300 USD | -1% |
| Principal Support Engineer | 97,900 USD | +4% |
| Process Engineer | 88,200 USD | -6% |
| Process Operator | 53,300 USD | -43% |
| Product Development Engineer | 97,500 USD | +3% |
| Product Development Technician | 69,100 USD | -27% |
| Product Engineer | 92,600 USD | -2% |
| Product Safety Engineer | 86,100 USD | -9% |
| Production Engineer | 92,900 USD | -1% |
| Project Engineer | 98,900 USD | +5% |
| Proposal Manager | 115,000 USD | +22% |
| Purchasing Engineer | 81,400 USD | -14% |
| Quality Assurance Engineer | 87,900 USD | -7% |
| Rail Engineer | 93,900 USD | -0% |
| Regional Field Engineer | 94,800 USD | +1% |
| Remote Sensing Engineer | 93,600 USD | -1% |
| Robotics Engineer | 109,000 USD | +16% |
| Robotics Technician | 74,800 USD | -21% |
| Safety Engineer | 88,500 USD | -6% |
| Safety Inspector | 72,000 USD | -24% |
| Safety Manager | 109,000 USD | +16% |
| Safety Officer | 48,200 USD | -49% |
| Sales Engineer | 95,700 USD | +1% |
| Scheduling Engineer | 80,100 USD | -15% |
| Security Engineer | 98,200 USD | +4% |
| Service Engineer | 94,800 USD | +1% |
| Smart Home Engineer | 102,000 USD | +8% |
| Solar Engineer | 99,500 USD | +6% |
| Staff Engineer | 94,200 USD | -0% |
| Static Equipment Engineer | 88,700 USD | -6% |
| Stationary Engineer | 84,600 USD | -10% |
| Stress Engineer | 87,300 USD | -7% |
| Structural Analysis Engineer | 87,500 USD | -7% |
| Structural Designer | 84,600 USD | -10% |
| Structural Engineer | 91,900 USD | -3% |
| Structural Technician | 57,200 USD | -39% |
| Subsea Engineer | 108,000 USD | +15% |
| Supply Chain Specialist | 93,800 USD | -1% |
| Surveyor | 71,600 USD | -24% |
| Technical Affairs Officer | 44,700 USD | -53% |
| Technical Assistant | 46,900 USD | -50% |
| Technical Engineer | 78,300 USD | -17% |
| Technical Support Engineer | 79,000 USD | -16% |
| Tender Engineer | 80,900 USD | -14% |
| Test Development Engineer | 87,700 USD | -7% |
| Test Engineer | 88,200 USD | -6% |
| Transportation Engineer | 88,200 USD | -6% |
| Urban Engineer | 95,800 USD | +2% |
| Validation Engineer | 85,400 USD | -9% |
| Verification Engineer | 90,000 USD | -5% |
| Wastewater Engineer | 88,100 USD | -7% |
| Wind Energy Engineer | 95,200 USD | +1% |
| Wind Energy Operations Manager | 118,000 USD | +25% |
| Wireless Engineer | 105,000 USD | +11% |
| Work Planner | 65,900 USD | -30% |
Salary Comparison By City
| City | Average Salary |
| Los Angeles | 107,000 USD |
| San Francisco | 94,300 USD |
| San Jose | 101,000 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 |
Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide
What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Civil Engineer in San Francisco?
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 89,400 USD and 103,000 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 San Francisco ranges from 44,300 USD to 72,400 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
