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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

17-2051 Civil Engineers

Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems. Includes architectural, structural, traffic, and geotechnical engineers. Excludes “Hydrologists” (19-2043).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
310,850 1.0 % $45.36 $94,360 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $26.63 $32.76 $41.86 $54.60 $69.50
Annual Wage (2) $55,380 $68,130 $87,060 $113,580 $144,560


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 168,270 11.23 $46.34 $96,400
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 36,160 1.66 $41.38 $86,070
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 31,240 0.56 $46.46 $96,630
Nonresidential Building Construction 18,590 2.23 $40.21 $83,630
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 9,260 0.46 $45.47 $94,580

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 168,270 11.23 $46.34 $96,400
Nonresidential Building Construction 18,590 2.23 $40.21 $83,630
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 2,420 1.97 $42.24 $87,860
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 36,160 1.66 $41.38 $86,070
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 360 1.21 $48.92 $101,750

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oil and Gas Extraction 610 0.43 $62.44 $129,870
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 90 0.02 $59.79 $124,360
Waste Treatment and Disposal 230 0.22 $59.38 $123,510
Communications Equipment Manufacturing 40 0.05 $58.20 $121,050
Social Advocacy Organizations 130 0.06 $56.74 $118,020


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 49,090 2.82 1.33 $53.12 $110,480
Texas 27,920 2.25 1.06 $46.39 $96,480
New York 16,400 1.72 0.81 $49.43 $102,820
Florida 16,060 1.83 0.86 $43.68 $90,850
Pennsylvania 12,260 2.08 0.98 $41.85 $87,050




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 1,590 5.02 2.37 $48.49 $100,860
Colorado 10,090 3.77 1.78 $45.61 $94,870
Washington 11,580 3.49 1.65 $46.05 $95,780
Wyoming 900 3.30 1.56 $43.54 $90,570
Hawaii 2,050 3.22 1.52 $41.51 $86,340




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 49,090 2.82 1.33 $53.12 $110,480
Louisiana 2,850 1.48 0.70 $50.48 $104,990
New Jersey 7,420 1.81 0.86 $49.50 $102,950
New York 16,400 1.72 0.81 $49.43 $102,820
District of Columbia 1,420 1.97 0.93 $48.92 $101,750





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 16,020 2.57 1.21 $51.86 $107,870
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 15,860 1.64 0.78 $51.17 $106,430
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 10,930 4.42 2.09 $57.75 $120,110
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 10,740 3.52 1.66 $51.87 $107,890
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 9,380 2.95 1.39 $48.95 $101,810
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 8,480 1.81 0.86 $44.98 $93,560
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 6,940 4.58 2.17 $45.95 $95,570
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 6,870 3.40 1.61 $46.46 $96,640
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 6,190 2.21 1.04 $45.80 $95,270
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 5,950 1.63 0.77 $48.53 $100,950




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Walla Walla, WA 260 10.09 4.77 $46.16 $96,010
Fairbanks, AK 320 9.45 4.46 $44.33 $92,200
Yuba City, CA 420 9.31 4.40 $48.16 $100,170
Carson City, NV 270 9.03 4.27 $37.03 $77,010
Bismarck, ND 460 6.56 3.10 $42.05 $87,470
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 740 6.48 3.06 $42.93 $89,290
Raleigh, NC 3,920 6.03 2.85 $43.45 $90,380
Ames, IA 260 5.76 2.72 $39.91 $83,020
Trenton, NJ 1,340 5.58 2.64 $44.43 $92,420
Anchorage, AK 940 5.36 2.53 $50.81 $105,680




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 10,930 4.42 2.09 $57.75 $120,110
Midland, TX 220 1.96 0.92 $56.68 $117,900
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 120 0.77 0.36 $56.34 $117,200
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 4,870 4.81 2.27 $56.01 $116,490
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 2,740 1.78 0.84 $55.66 $115,770
Redding, CA 280 4.13 1.95 $54.89 $114,180
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,530 2.22 1.05 $54.66 $113,700
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 1,020 1.84 0.87 $54.28 $112,910
Reno, NV 610 2.50 1.18 $54.17 $112,680
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 110 1.07 0.51 $53.89 $112,100

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 590 4.20 1.99 $36.87 $76,690
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 410 5.72 2.70 $49.81 $103,600
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 2.20 1.04 $40.40 $84,020
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 380 3.88 1.83 $39.23 $81,610
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 360 2.39 1.13 $35.94 $74,750

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 410 5.72 2.70 $49.81 $103,600
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 270 4.39 2.08 $34.18 $71,100
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 590 4.20 1.99 $36.87 $76,690
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 380 3.88 1.83 $39.23 $81,610
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 270 3.82 1.81 $36.58 $76,080

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 50 0.65 0.31 $51.83 $107,810
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 60 0.70 0.33 $50.79 $105,650
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 410 5.72 2.70 $49.81 $103,600
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $48.34 $100,550
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 100 1.43 0.67 $48.13 $100,110


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020