The median annual wage for civil engineers was $82,220 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $52,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $129,850.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for civil engineers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Federal government, excluding postal service
$91,260
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
86,620
Engineering services
81,270
State government, excluding education and hospitals
77,990
Nonresidential building construction
77,790
Civil engineers typically work full time, and about 1 in 4 worked more than 40 hours per week in 2014. Engineers who direct projects may need to work extra hours in order to monitor progress on projects, to ensure that designs meet requirements, and to guarantee that deadlines are met.
Civil Engineers
Median annual wages, May 2015
Engineers
$90,060
Civil engineers
$82,220
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics