JobAfterNext

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.

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$100,840
Employment, U.S.367,840
Median hourly wage$48.48
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$68,240$79,930$100,840$129,680$163,220
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama5,370$99,0101.07
Alaska1,670$114,7302.17
Arizona5,940$89,6600.77
Arkansas1,870$85,0200.60
California55,180$122,5001.28
Colorado13,290$101,4201.96
Connecticut4,370$103,1501.09
Delaware920$100,2200.80
District of Columbia1,650$103,8800.99
Florida23,750$98,5701.01
Georgia9,400$84,2400.81
Hawaii2,640$94,2801.78
Idaho2,630$98,0301.30
Illinois13,910$99,7600.96
Indiana4,030$98,2700.53
Iowa2,500$96,4300.68
Kansas2,880$96,8800.85
Kentucky2,690$100,9300.57
Louisiana3,780$105,3800.82
Maine1,240$97,8200.82
Maryland5,240$100,6800.80
Massachusetts9,450$106,7301.10
Michigan7,760$92,1000.74
Minnesota4,710$101,4800.68
Mississippi1,770$100,1700.64
Missouri5,760$92,7500.83
Montana1,870$93,0701.55
Nebraska2,360$103,1500.97
Nevada3,560$104,3100.97
New Hampshire1,620$98,7101.00
New Jersey6,900$104,6600.68
New Mexico1,350$103,9000.66
New York17,500$103,7600.76
North Carolina12,810$100,7301.10
North Dakota1,380$98,1901.35
Ohio10,560$96,2200.80
Oklahoma2,180$98,7600.54
Oregon4,890$105,2501.05
Pennsylvania15,870$97,8501.11
Rhode Island1,270$99,3001.07
South Carolina7,180$101,6001.32
South Dakota1,440$98,7001.33
Tennessee5,790$95,9100.75
Texas34,870$96,8601.05
Utah5,670$96,8301.38
Vermont770$95,6001.07
Virginia11,350$97,1201.17
Washington12,590$110,0001.50
West Virginia1,300$86,9300.78
Wisconsin7,410$94,6001.07
Wyoming990$90,5901.48

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Transportation Engineers40.983
2Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar40.972
3Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers40.971
4Water/Wastewater Engineers40.970
5Architects, Except Landscape and Naval50.970
6Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians30.969
7Wind Energy Engineers40.968
8Architectural and Engineering Managers50.967
9Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers40.967
10Solar Energy Systems Engineers40.966

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Civil Engineers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Fire-Prevention and Protection EngineersQuality Control Analysis0.880.971
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety EngineersOperations Monitoring1.260.967
Construction ManagersNegotiation0.880.942
Energy AuditorsOperations Monitoring0.880.938
Validation EngineersOperations Monitoring1.130.935
Commercial and Industrial DesignersTechnology Design1.120.933
Agricultural EngineersOperations Monitoring1.000.932
Materials ScientistsScience0.880.923

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Civil Engineers, excluding software Civil Engineers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
Python12 of 204.2x
Finite element method FEM software5 of 2021.0x
ANSYS simulation software5 of 2019.2x
Geographic information system GIS systems8 of 206.2x
Oracle Primavera Systems5 of 2017.8x
C++10 of 204.2x
Microsoft Visio11 of 203.4x
HEC-RAS4 of 2020.5x
OpenRoads Designer3 of 2046.2x
Computer aided design and drafting CADD software5 of 208.5x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
Active ListeningEssential skill 4.00 4.00
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 3.88 5.00
MathematicsEssential skill 3.88 4.75
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 3.88 4.62
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.88 4.12
SpeakingEssential skill 3.88 3.88
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.75 4.12
ScienceEssential skill 3.75 4.00
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.75 4.00
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 3.62 4.50
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.38 4.00
Active LearningEssential skill 3.25 4.62
MonitoringEssential skill 3.25 3.88
WritingEssential skill 3.25 3.88
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.12 4.00
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.12 3.75
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 3.00 3.50
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 3.50
PersuasionTransferable skill 3.00 3.25
InstructingTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
NegotiationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Service OrientationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 2.88 3.62
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 2.88 3.38
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.88 3.00
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 2.25 2.50
Technology DesignTransferable skill 2.25 2.50
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 2.12 2.12
ProgrammingTransferable skill 1.88 1.88
RepairingTransferable skill 1.62 1.62
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.50 0.88
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.50 0.62
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.38 0.50
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.25not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Design 4.70 5.95
Engineering and Technology 4.67 6.43
Building and Construction 4.53 5.33
Mathematics 4.48 5.10
English Language 4.00 4.38
Physics 3.71 4.29
Administration and Management 3.62 4.48
Customer and Personal Service 3.43 4.62
Law and Government 3.24 3.86
Public Safety and Security 3.24 3.81
Computers and Electronics 3.14 4.10
Transportation 3.05 3.43
Sales and Marketing 2.86 3.81
Economics and Accounting 2.81 3.20
Administrative 2.71 3.29
Geography 2.57 3.43
Personnel and Human Resources 2.55 3.48
Mechanical 2.52 2.85
Education and Training 2.40 3.38
Chemistry 2.29 2.90
Production and Processing 2.10 2.00
Communications and Media 2.00 2.14
Psychology 1.71 1.38
History and Archeology 1.57 1.29
Biology 1.52 1.48
Telecommunications 1.52 1.10
Foreign Language 1.52 1.00
Sociology and Anthropology 1.48 1.05
Philosophy and Theology 1.38 0.90
Food Production 1.14not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.14not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.14not rated
Fine Arts 1.00not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Comprehension 4.00 5.00
Oral Expression 4.00 5.00
Written Comprehension 4.00 5.00
Deductive Reasoning 4.00 4.88
Problem Sensitivity 4.00 4.75
Inductive Reasoning 4.00 4.00
Written Expression 4.00 4.00
Mathematical Reasoning 3.88 4.75
Information Ordering 3.88 4.00
Category Flexibility 3.75 4.12
Near Vision 3.75 4.12
Visualization 3.75 4.12
Fluency of Ideas 3.75 4.00
Number Facility 3.75 4.00
Speech Recognition 3.62 4.00
Flexibility of Closure 3.62 3.75
Perceptual Speed 3.62 3.75
Speech Clarity 3.62 3.75
Far Vision 3.62 3.62
Originality 3.25 4.00
Selective Attention 3.00 3.12
Speed of Closure 2.88 3.62
Memorization 2.62 2.88
Time Sharing 2.62 2.75
Auditory Attention 2.62 2.62
Visual Color Discrimination 2.62 2.62
Depth Perception 2.50 2.62
Hearing Sensitivity 2.50 2.50
Finger Dexterity 2.12 1.62
Spatial Orientation 1.88 1.50
Control Precision 1.62 1.12
Trunk Strength 1.50 0.75
Multilimb Coordination 1.50 0.50
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.38 0.50
Glare Sensitivity 1.25not rated
Arm-Hand Steadiness 1.00not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Dynamic Strength 1.00not rated
Explosive Strength 1.00not rated
Extent Flexibility 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Manual Dexterity 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Rate Control 1.00not rated
Reaction Time 1.00not rated
Response Orientation 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated
Static Strength 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 73
  • Cartography software
  • Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Cost estimating software
  • Dassault Systemes Abaqus
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • ESRI ArcInfo
  • ESRI ArcView
  • Eagle Point Site Design
  • Email software
  • Finite element analysis FEA software
  • Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
  • GT STRUDL
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Graphics software
  • HEC-1
  • HEC-HMS
  • Hydraulic analysis software
  • Hydraulic modeling software
  • HydroCAD Software Solutions HydroCAD Stormwater Modeling System
  • Intergraph MGE
  • MAYA Nastran
  • Mathsoft Mathcad
  • Microsoft ActiveX
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Minitab
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
  • Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • Road design software
  • Scheduling software
  • SmugMug Flickr
  • Stormwater hydrology software
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • The Gordian Group PROGEN Online
  • Trimble Geomatics Office
  • Trimble Terramodel
  • Verilog
  • Web browser software
  • WinTR-55

Where it concentrates

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Carson City, NV3104.15$95,260
Yuba City, CA4603.84$119,990
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC2,0003.65$103,010
Helena, MT3603.40$100,710
Walla Walla, WA1903.18$123,030
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA8602.78$108,240
Fairbanks-College, AK2402.76$111,080
Anchorage, AK1,1102.66$112,740
Raleigh-Cary, NC4,6402.64$101,440
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA7202.50$110,210

More metros, other thresholds