How Much Do Civil Engineers Make? - Skills To Get Ahead In Your Career

A career as a civil engineer, where you can help to shape the community where you live, can be extremely exciting. With a strong earning potential and opportunities for advancement, many civil engineers find their careers to be highly fulfilling. Learning about the average salary, job outlook and what civil engineers do can help you determine if this career is right for you.

In this article, we discuss what civil engineers make and the highest salaries by state, how you can increase your salary and some of the most frequently asked questions about this profession.

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The national average salary for civil engineers is .css-1v152rs{border-radius:0;color:#2557a7;font-family:”Noto Sans”,”Helvetica Neue”,”Helvetica”,”Arial”,”Liberation Sans”,”Roboto”,”Noto”,sans-serif;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-transition:border-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),background-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),opacity 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-style 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-width 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-radius 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),box-shadow 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1);transition:border-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),background-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),opacity 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-style 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-width 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-radius 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),box-shadow 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1);border-bottom:1px solid;cursor:pointer;}.css-1v152rs:hover{color:#164081;}.css-1v152rs:active{color:#0d2d5e;}.css-1v152rs:focus{outline:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-bottom-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:0 0 0 1px;}.css-1v152rs:focus:not([data-focus-visible-added]){box-shadow:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-radius:0;}.css-1v152rs:hover,.css-1v152rs:active{color:#164081;}.css-1v152rs:visited{color:#2557a7;}@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-1v152rs{-webkit-transition:none;transition:none;}}.css-1v152rs:focus:active:not([data-focus-visible-added]){box-shadow:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-radius:0;} and ranges from $30,000 to $160,000 according to experience, geographic location and industry. The top industries for civil engineers are the federal government, local government, engineering services, state government and nonresidential construction companies.

Employment for civil engineers is expected to grow by six percent from 2018 to 2028, approximately the same rate of growth as all occupations. The greatest demand is expected to be managing projects to upgrade or build roads, bridges, buildings and other structures. They will also be needed to maintain aging water systems and build waste treatment plans to accommodate a growing population.

Location certainly plays a big role in salary for this profession. Here is a list of states that pay above the average national salary:

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Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about a career as a civil engineer.

Civil engineers are responsible for designing and supervising the construction of public works projects. Many civil engineers specialize in a specific type of engineering, such as structural engineering, transportation engineering or geotechnical engineering. Though they do the vast majority of their work in an office, they do sometimes visit project sites to monitor construction, ensuring projects are being completed on schedule and according to plan and answering questions from the construction superintendent.

Civil engineers are required to have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, civil engineering technology or something similar. To qualify for senior positions, they usually need a graduate degree as well as a license, although licensure requirements can vary from state to state.

Some of the top skills that civil engineers need for success in their roles include:

Management skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Creativity

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Technical skills

Being a civil engineer can be a lucrative profession. but there are several ways you could increase your salary as a civil engineer.

Changing industries

Changing locations

Obtaining a license

Acquiring a master’s degree

The three highest paying industries, in order from highest to lowest, are the federal government, local government and engineering services. If you are working as a civil engineer in another industry, you may want to consider exploring other industries to increase your salary.

Because engineering pay varies with geographic location, finding employment opportunities in a different state or city can increase your salary.

Another way to increase your salary is to obtain an engineering license. Because not all engineers are licensed, those with licenses can qualify for higher-paying management jobs.

Obtaining a graduate degree in engineering can help you qualify for higher-paying management jobs to help distinguish you from other candidates.

To get a better idea of how specialized job titles within the field can vary by responsibility and salary, refer to this list of jobs that are related to civil engineering.

An operations manager monitors daily activities to maximize efficiency, productivity and profitability for an organization. They are responsible for overseeing budgeting, reporting, planning and auditing. They also supervise, hire and train employees as well as strategize process improvements.

A data analyst is responsible for interpreting data and analyzing the results using statistical techniques. They acquire data from primary and secondary sources and develop and implement databases, data collection systems and other strategies to optimize the efficiency and quality of data. They are responsible for developing analysis and reporting capabilities.

A project manager is responsible for planning and managing projects from beginning to end. They usually create budgets and timelines and monitor every step of the project to ensure it’s progressing accordingly. Project managers are responsible for ensuring team members understand their roles and that the project meets the client’s standards.

A mechanical engineer is responsible for designing, building and testing mechanical and thermal devices. While their responsibilities may vary, some of their primary duties include studying different problems and evaluating whether a mechanical or thermal device would be an appropriate solution, analyzing equipment malfunctions and supervising the manufacturing process for the mechanical or thermal device.

An electrical engineer is responsible for designing and testing electrical systems and equipment. Some of their primary duties include overseeing the manufacturing and installation of their products, collaborating with project managers to keep projects running on schedule and managing and resolving customer complaints as they arise.