Civil Engineer Salary in the USA | Average Pay, Highest Paying States & Career Outlook

The average Civil Engineer Salary is $96,000 per year (or around $44.23 per hour) in the USA. For more details, like civil engineer salary according to every state of the USA, civil engineer field comparison to the related fields like mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, and their salaries according to their experience, and more details related to civil engineers are given below;

What is Civil Engineering?

Civil Engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with designing, building, and maintaining structures that people use every day. And construct the best building structure and design it in a very unique way.

What do Civil Engineer do?

• Design Roads, Bridges & Buildings
• Supervise Construction Projects
• Create Blueprints and Project Plans
• Build Drainage & Water Systems
• Test Soil and Construction Materials
• Repair and Upgrade Old Infrastructure
• Estimate Project Costs and Time
• Make Sure Structures Are Safe & Legal

How much do Civil Engineers make?

As of 2025, the average civil engineer salary in the United States is $92,000 per year (or around $44 per hour):

Civil Engineer Salary by Experience Level:

Experience Level	Estimated Salary
Entry-Level (0–2 yrs)	$61,000 – $70,000/year
Mid-Level (3–5 yrs)	$80,000 – $95,000/year
Senior-Level (6–10 yrs)	$100,000 – $120,000/year
Top Earners (10+ yrs)	$131,000+ per year

Explore the Average Civil Engineer Salary in every State of the USA

Top-Paying States (Average Salary: $104,000 and above)

In these states civil engineer salary (Average : $104,000 and above).

State	Average Salary
California	$115,100
New York	$113,610
Alaska	$110,940
Louisiana	$109,770
Massachusetts	$108,320
Rhode Island	$107,670
New Jersey	$106,760
New Mexico	$106,030
Connecticut	$104,330
Washington	$104,320
Oregon	$104,120
Delaware	$103,970
Colorado	$103,420

Median-Paying States (Average Salary: $92,000 – $103,999)

In these states civil engineer salary (Average: $92,000 – $103,999).

State	Average Salary
District of Columbia	$102,960
Florida	$101,660
Illinois	$101,560
Maryland	$100,040
Minnesota	$100,650
Mississippi	$99,660
Oklahoma	$99,960
South Carolina	$99,120
Nevada	$97,170
Pennsylvania	$97,070
Alabama	$96,430
Virginia	$96,350
Tennessee	$95,810
Texas	$95,740
Maine	$94,750
North Carolina	$94,880
Iowa	$94,270
New Hampshire	$94,210
Missouri	$93,110
Kentucky	$93,880
Arizona	$93,490
Kansas	$92,770
Utah	$92,840
North Dakota	$92,970
Idaho	$92,730
Nebraska	$92,320
West Virginia	$92,370

Low-Paying States (Average Salary: Below $92,000)

State	Average Salary
Ohio	$91,730
Wisconsin	$91,850
Indiana	$90,870
South Dakota	$90,870
Michigan	$90,160
Hawaii	$90,630
Georgia	$89,590
Wyoming	$87,100
Vermont	$84,620
Arkansas	$85,830
Montana	$82,940

Is Civil Engineering hard?

Yes, it can be a little hard, but many people do it. Basically, it totally depends on your mentality and hard work. Civil engineering is tough for some, and some do it very easily.

Here’s why:

• You need to study math and science.
• You must learn how to design roads, bridges, and buildings.
• The school work can be tough and long.

But:

• You can get a good job after.
• You earn a nice salary.
• You help build things people use every day.

Top USA Civil Engineering Companies

• Bechtel Corporation
• AECOM
• Jacobs Engineering
• HDR Inc.
• Fluor Corporation
• WSP USA
• Kiewit Corporation
• Stantec
• HNTB Corporation
• Burns & McDonnell

Top Civil Engineering Schools in USA – For Studying Civil Engineering

The details of the best civil engineering school in the US is here:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

• Website: https://cee.mit.edu/ (MIT Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering)
• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Contact Phone: MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering: (617) 253‑4605 (standard department contact)
• Tuition / Fees: Approx $53,790/year for undergraduate; Master’s programs are similar or slightly higher

2. Stanford University

• Website: https://cee.stanford.edu/ (Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering)
• Location: Stanford, California
• Contact Phone: Civil & Environmental Engineering Department: (650) 723‑2300
• Tuition / Fees: Approx $56,000–$57,000/year for undergraduate and graduate programs.

3. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

• Website: https://www.ce.berkeley.edu/ (Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering)
• Location: Berkeley, California
• Contact Phone: CEE Department: (510) 643‑4841
• Tuition / Fees: For 2025 undergraduates: in-state approx $14,254, out-of-state $44,008/year; grad tuition ~$30,363/year

4. University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign (UIUC)

• Website: https://cee.illinois.edu/
• Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
• Contact Phone: CEE Main Office: (217) 333‑6789
• Tuition / Fees: 2025 undergrad: in-state $35,124, out-of-state $34,406? (tuition approx); overall ~$39,000+ including fees

5. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

• Website: https://ce.gatech.edu/ (School of Civil & Environmental Engineering)
• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Contact Phone: CE Department: (404) 894‑2300
• Tuition / Fees: 2025: in-state undergrad approx $12,682, out-of-state $33,794/year

Civil vs Mechanical Engineering

Topic	Civil Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
What they do	Build things like roads, buildings, and bridges	Make things like machines, engines, and tools
Where they work	Outside at construction sites or on big projects	Inside in offices, labs, or factories
What they build	Big structures (buildings, dams, roads)	Moving things (cars, engines, machines)
Materials used	Bricks, cement, steel, soil	Metal, plastic, wires
What they study	Land, buildings, water flow, safety	How things move, heat, design, energy
Tools they use	Drawing software for buildings	Design software for machines
Job names	Site engineer, road engineer	Machine designer, mechanical engineer
Work field	Construction companies, road projects	Car companies, airplane companies, and factories
Work type	More about buildings and roads	More about machines and engines
Final goal	Make strong and safe buildings	Make working and useful machines

Civil Engineering vs Structural Engineering

Topic	Civil Engineering	Structural Engineering
What they do	Plan and design roads, bridges, water systems, etc.	Focus only on the strength and safety of structures
Main Focus	Covers many areas like transport, water, and buildings	Specializes in making buildings and structures strong
Scope	Broad field (many types of projects)	Narrow field (only structures like buildings, towers, etc.)
What they design	Roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, buildings	Beams, columns, frames, foundations of buildings
Work area	Construction, urban planning, public works	Construction and building safety
Skills needed	Project planning, soil testing, surveying	Load analysis, material strength, earthquake safety
Work tools	AutoCAD, project software	Structural analysis software (like SAP2000, ETABS)
Who they work with	Works with many engineers	Often works under or with civil engineers
Goal	Build infrastructure for people’s use	Make sure structures don’t fall or break