Engineering · 24 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Civil Engineer (2024)

The median Civil Engineer salary is $129,260 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Charlotte, NC offers the best purchasing power at $103,454 adjusted.

$101,035

National Median

$129,260

Highest City

$82,110

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$129,260	$83,620 – $199,560	195.8	$66,016	3,180
2	San Francisco, CA	$126,560	$85,960 – $199,010	179.6	$70,468	9,920
3	Seattle, WA	$107,930	$81,440 – $160,290	149.4	$72,242	7,250
4	San Diego, CA	$106,350	$78,000 – $164,060	160.2	$66,386	6,390
5	New York, NY	$106,130	$77,710 – $180,720	187.2	$56,693	14,570
6	Los Angeles, CA	$105,290	$73,850 – $170,140	166	$63,428	16,390
7	Boston, MA	$104,750	$78,790 – $167,630	152.1	$68,869	8,300
8	Portland, OR	$104,360	$75,450 – $157,700	130.1	$80,215	3,520
9	Minneapolis, MN	$102,190	$76,790 – $158,590	106.2	$96,224	3,140
10	Tampa, FL	$102,010	$69,870 – $166,420	99.6	$102,420	3,190
11	Washington, DC	$100,370	$66,780 – $162,060	152.8	$65,687	8,280
12	Chicago, IL	$100,280	$73,090 – $160,840	107.3	$93,458	8,870
13	Charlotte, NC	$100,040	$69,990 – $140,180	96.7	$103,454	3,420
14	Nashville, TN	$99,780	$68,970 – $144,220	100.3	$99,482	1,620
15	Dallas, TX	$98,750	$59,990 – $156,770	104.1	$94,861	7,830
16	Houston, TX	$98,690	$65,740 – $165,360	96.5	$102,269	11,270
17	Raleigh, NC	$98,030	$68,180 – $164,150	99.8	$98,226	4,490
18	Austin, TX	$97,850	$63,600 – $161,050	103	$95,000	5,490
19	Philadelphia, PA	$96,630	$72,240 – $147,930	118.4	$81,613	6,270
20	Phoenix, AZ	$95,400	$64,070 – $137,860	100.7	$94,737	4,970
21	Salt Lake City, UT	$92,210	$60,390 – $139,050	101.4	$90,937	2,470
22	Detroit, MI	$85,690	$64,630 – $130,310	95.1	$90,105	4,080
23	Miami, FL	$84,190	$35,980 – $172,900	123.1	$68,392	6,550
24	Atlanta, GA	$82,110	$65,170 – $156,570	99.2	$82,772	6,170

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Civil Engineer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Charlotte, NC	$103,454	$100,040	96.7
2	Tampa, FL	$102,420	$102,010	99.6
3	Houston, TX	$102,269	$98,690	96.5
4	Nashville, TN	$99,482	$99,780	100.3
5	Raleigh, NC	$98,226	$98,030	99.8
6	Minneapolis, MN	$96,224	$102,190	106.2
7	Austin, TX	$95,000	$97,850	103
8	Dallas, TX	$94,861	$98,750	104.1
9	Phoenix, AZ	$94,737	$95,400	100.7
10	Chicago, IL	$93,458	$100,280	107.3
11	Salt Lake City, UT	$90,937	$92,210	101.4
12	Detroit, MI	$90,105	$85,690	95.1
13	Atlanta, GA	$82,772	$82,110	99.2
14	Philadelphia, PA	$81,613	$96,630	118.4
15	Portland, OR	$80,215	$104,360	130.1
16	Seattle, WA	$72,242	$107,930	149.4
17	San Francisco, CA	$70,468	$126,560	179.6
18	Boston, MA	$68,869	$104,750	152.1
19	Miami, FL	$68,392	$84,190	123.1
20	San Diego, CA	$66,386	$106,350	160.2
21	San Jose, CA	$66,016	$129,260	195.8
22	Washington, DC	$65,687	$100,370	152.8
23	Los Angeles, CA	$63,428	$105,290	166
24	New York, NY	$56,693	$106,130	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Civil Engineer salary at $129,260. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Charlotte, NC offers the most purchasing power at $103,454 adjusted.

The national median Civil Engineer salary is $101,035 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $82,110 to $129,260 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.