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Civil Engineer Average Salary in San Francisco 2024

How much money does a person working as Civil Engineer make in San Francisco?


Average Yearly Salary
94,300 USD
( 7,860 USD monthly)

LOW
44,300
USD
AVERAGE
94,300
USD
HIGH
149,000
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 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

Median and salary distribution San Francisco Civil Engineer yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
88,800 USD or more
10% of people earn
78,000 to 88,800 USD
20% of people earn
54,300 USD or less
65% of people earn
54,300 to 78,000 USD
Minimum Salary
44,300 USD
Median
89,400 USD
Maximum
149,000 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 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
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly San Francisco 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 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.

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 / 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
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly San Francisco 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 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 Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Civil Engineer / San Francisco

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 / 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.

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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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 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 / San Francisco


45 USD per hour

The 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.


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 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 TitleAverage Salary
Engineering-100%
3D Printing Engineer80,000 USD-15%
Acoustics Engineer91,500 USD-3%
Assembly Engineering Technician74,100 USD-21%
Assistant Chief Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Associate Engineer86,500 USD-8%
AutoCAD Drafter54,700 USD-42%
Autocad Operator60,300 USD-36%
Automation Engineer101,000 USD+7%
Avionic System Support Engineer85,700 USD-9%
Biochemical Engineer82,900 USD-12%
BMS Engineer86,500 USD-8%
Bridge and Lock Tender49,900 USD-47%
Broadcast Engineer86,200 USD-9%
CAD Design Engineer98,700 USD+5%
CAD Designer56,900 USD-40%
CAE Engineer88,800 USD-6%
Ceramics Engineer87,800 USD-7%
Chemical Engineer97,100 USD+3%
Civil Drafter55,200 USD-41%
Civil Engineer94,300 USD+0%
Civil Site Engineer97,400 USD+3%
Civil Technician54,600 USD-42%
Cognitive Engineer83,100 USD-12%
Commissioning Engineer90,000 USD-5%
Communications Engineer100,000 USD+6%
Condition Monitoring Engineer79,000 USD-16%
Contract Associate Engineer84,400 USD-10%
Contract Engineer88,700 USD-6%
Control Systems Engineer90,900 USD-4%
Controls Engineer91,600 USD-3%
Controls Software Engineer77,400 USD-18%
Corrosion Engineer87,900 USD-7%
Design Engineer98,100 USD+4%
Director of Engineering178,000 USD+89%
Drafter56,400 USD-40%
Drafting Manager109,000 USD+16%
Drilling Engineer88,700 USD-6%
Drilling Foreman27,300 USD-71%
Electrical Draughtsman44,800 USD-52%
Electrical Engineer105,000 USD+11%
Electrical Engineering Manager131,000 USD+39%
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist103,000 USD+9%
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler47,700 USD-49%
Energy Engineer97,700 USD+4%
Engine Assembler42,300 USD-55%
Engineer101,000 USD+7%
Engineering Account Manager110,000 USD+17%
Engineering Chief Designer103,000 USD+9%
Engineering Consultant127,000 USD+35%
Engineering Key Account Manager133,000 USD+41%
Engineering Lab Technician91,300 USD-3%
Engineering Manager133,000 USD+41%
Engineering Planning Manager131,000 USD+39%
Engineering Production Manager159,000 USD+69%
Engineering Project Analyst107,000 USD+13%
Engineering Project Coordinator 106,000 USD+12%
Engineering Project Director191,000 USD+100%
Engineering Project Leader116,000 USD+23%
Engineering Project Manager127,000 USD+35%
Engineering Research and Development Manager152,000 USD+61%
Engineering Safety Coordinator71,700 USD-24%
Engineering Sales Manager129,000 USD+37%
Engineering Technician70,200 USD-26%
Engineering Technologist74,300 USD-21%
Environmental Engineer89,100 USD-6%
Equipment Engineer87,100 USD-8%
Equipment Engineering Manager120,000 USD+27%
Estimator80,100 USD-15%
Fabrication Specialist62,900 USD-33%
Fabricator42,500 USD-55%
Facade Engineer89,300 USD-5%
Fiber Analyst50,300 USD-47%
Field Engineer99,000 USD+5%
Field Engineering Manager153,000 USD+62%
Fire Engineer95,800 USD+2%
Fitter and Turner29,100 USD-69%
Forestry Strategic Planner104,000 USD+10%
Generation Engineer89,000 USD-6%
Genetic Engineer100,000 USD+6%
Geological Engineer91,500 USD-3%
Geotechnical Engineer101,000 USD+7%
Heavy Equipment Mechanic48,100 USD-49%
Highway Engineer90,100 USD-4%
HSE Professional86,100 USD-9%
Human Machine Interface Engineer79,800 USD-15%
HVAC Engineer101,000 USD+7%
HVAC Supervisor83,700 USD-11%
Industrial Engineer86,900 USD-8%
Industrial Engineering Technologist85,500 USD-9%
Instrument Engineer91,000 USD-3%
Instrument Technician51,900 USD-45%
Instrumentation and Control Engineer88,700 USD-6%
Instrumentation Designer79,600 USD-16%
Instrumentation Engineer91,300 USD-3%
Instrumentation Manager88,500 USD-6%
Irrigation Engineer92,000 USD-2%
Licensed Aircraft Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Locomotive Engineer89,100 USD-6%
Maintenance Engineer84,400 USD-10%
Maintenance Fitter33,000 USD-65%
Maintenance Manager93,000 USD-1%
Manufacturing Engineer91,000 USD-3%
Marine Engineer90,300 USD-4%
Materials Engineer92,500 USD-2%
Materials Researcher88,800 USD-6%
Materials Technician69,200 USD-27%
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer99,600 USD+6%
Mechanical Design Engineer94,500 USD+0%
Mechanical Designer80,400 USD-15%
Mechanical Engineer95,400 USD+1%
Mechanical Engineering Manager132,000 USD+40%
Mechanical Inspector87,500 USD-7%
Mechatronics Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Mining Engineer89,500 USD-5%
Nanotechnology Engineer95,300 USD+1%
Natural Language Processing Engineer98,800 USD+5%
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Optical Engineer87,800 USD-7%
Optical Instrument Assembler48,100 USD-49%
PCB Assembler33,300 USD-65%
Photonics Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Photonics Technician79,300 USD-16%
Pipeline Engineer82,200 USD-13%
Piping Designer51,200 USD-46%
Piping Engineer82,000 USD-13%
Planning Engineer94,400 USD+0%
Pressure Vessel Inspector43,400 USD-54%
Principal Cost Engineer96,400 USD+2%
Principal Engineer93,300 USD-1%
Principal Support Engineer97,900 USD+4%
Process Engineer88,200 USD-6%
Process Operator53,300 USD-43%
Product Development Engineer97,500 USD+3%
Product Development Technician69,100 USD-27%
Product Engineer92,600 USD-2%
Product Safety Engineer86,100 USD-9%
Production Engineer92,900 USD-1%
Project Engineer98,900 USD+5%
Proposal Manager115,000 USD+22%
Purchasing Engineer81,400 USD-14%
Quality Assurance Engineer87,900 USD-7%
Rail Engineer93,900 USD-0%
Regional Field Engineer94,800 USD+1%
Remote Sensing Engineer93,600 USD-1%
Robotics Engineer109,000 USD+16%
Robotics Technician74,800 USD-21%
Safety Engineer88,500 USD-6%
Safety Inspector72,000 USD-24%
Safety Manager109,000 USD+16%
Safety Officer48,200 USD-49%
Sales Engineer95,700 USD+1%
Scheduling Engineer80,100 USD-15%
Security Engineer98,200 USD+4%
Service Engineer94,800 USD+1%
Smart Home Engineer102,000 USD+8%
Solar Engineer99,500 USD+6%
Staff Engineer94,200 USD-0%
Static Equipment Engineer88,700 USD-6%
Stationary Engineer84,600 USD-10%
Stress Engineer87,300 USD-7%
Structural Analysis Engineer87,500 USD-7%
Structural Designer84,600 USD-10%
Structural Engineer91,900 USD-3%
Structural Technician57,200 USD-39%
Subsea Engineer108,000 USD+15%
Supply Chain Specialist93,800 USD-1%
Surveyor71,600 USD-24%
Technical Affairs Officer44,700 USD-53%
Technical Assistant46,900 USD-50%
Technical Engineer78,300 USD-17%
Technical Support Engineer79,000 USD-16%
Tender Engineer80,900 USD-14%
Test Development Engineer87,700 USD-7%
Test Engineer88,200 USD-6%
Transportation Engineer88,200 USD-6%
Urban Engineer95,800 USD+2%
Validation Engineer85,400 USD-9%
Verification Engineer90,000 USD-5%
Wastewater Engineer88,100 USD-7%
Wind Energy Engineer95,200 USD+1%
Wind Energy Operations Manager118,000 USD+25%
Wireless Engineer105,000 USD+11%
Work Planner65,900 USD-30%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Los Angeles107,000 USD
San Francisco94,300 USD
San Jose101,000 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
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 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


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