Civil Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$100,840
United States, 2025
Employment
367,840
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 17-2051.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
Typical tasks
- Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
- Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.
- Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
- Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.
- Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$68,240
25th percentile
$79,930
75th percentile
$129,680
90th percentile
$163,220
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Mathematics3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Time Management3.8
- Science3.8
- Systems Analysis3.8
- Operations Analysis3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Monitoring3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 22 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
22
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Mathematics | 3.9 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.6 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Time Management | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Science | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Civil EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $130,280 | 3,170 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $130,160 | 10,990 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $130,150 | 5,590 | 2025 |
| Mankato, MN | $128,220 | 50 | 2025 |
| Redding, CA | $126,000 | 380 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $123,440 | 180 | 2025 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $123,030 | 190 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $122,510 | 300 | 2025 |
| CA | $122,500 | 55,180 | 2025 |
| Salinas, CA | $122,160 | 250 | 2025 |
| Kennewick, WA | $121,370 | 630 | 2025 |
| Yuba City, CA | $119,990 | 460 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $119,980 | 610 | 2025 |
| Fresno, CA | $119,720 | 1,250 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $118,050 | 210 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $116,990 | 610 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $116,480 | 7,680 | 2025 |
| Bremerton, WA | $116,210 | 300 | 2025 |
| Salem, OR | $115,480 | 480 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $115,120 | 3,510 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Civil Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.