Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Civil Engineer Salary in Knoxville, TN
Engineering · SOC 17-2051 · COL Index 90.3
Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN earn a median salary of $96,320 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $63,860 to $160,350. The mean is $107,580 across approximately 1,110 workers. Adjusted for Knoxville, TN's cost-of-living index of 90.3, the median equates to $106,667 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Civil Engineer in Knoxville, TN pays below the national median: $96,320 locally versus $101,468. The discount usually reflects either lower cost-of-living, smaller local industry concentration, or weaker labor demand.
Cost-of-living in Knoxville, TN runs below the national baseline (index 90.3). The cost-adjusted purchasing power of $96,320 works out to roughly $106,667 in national-baseline dollars — often higher real income than in high-cost coastal cities at the same gross wage. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $76,844, $96,320, $128,335, $160,350. 1,110 Civil Engineer workers are documented in Knoxville, TN per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $63,860 | $70,720 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,844 | $85,099 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $96,320 | $106,667 |
| 75th Percentile | $128,335 | $142,121 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $160,350 | $177,575 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile for Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN is unusually wide — top earners take home roughly 2.5× what the bottom decile earns. That signals a long career ladder: substantial pay gains accrue with seniority, specialization, and movement to larger employers. Workers entering this role should expect to start near the 25th percentile and target the median by year three to five.
Knoxville, TN's cost-of-living index of 90.3 runs below the U.S. average, so a $96,320 salary here has the equivalent purchasing power of about $106,667 in an average-cost metro. Lower nominal pay in markets like this often translates to comparable or better real income than higher headline numbers in coastal hubs.
Knoxville, TN ranks #57 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Civil Engineer pay — in the lower half nationally (81th percentile). Lower nominal pay here is often offset by a lower cost of living; check the COL-adjusted figure on this page for an apples-to-apples comparison.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $128,335 for Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($160,350) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($76,844–$96,320) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($96,320–$128,335) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($128,335–$160,350).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Knoxville, TN percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 17-2051 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Civil Engineer salary in Knoxville, TN?
Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN earn a median salary of $96,320 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $107,580 across roughly 1,110 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN?
Pay ranges from $63,860 at the 10th percentile to $160,350 at the 90th percentile — a $96,490 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($76,844 to $128,335) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $96,320 a good Civil Engineer salary in Knoxville, TN?
$96,320 is the BLS median — half of Civil Engineers in Knoxville, TN earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($76,844), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($128,335). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $106,667.
How does Civil Engineer pay in Knoxville, TN compare to other metros?
Knoxville, TN ranks #57 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Civil Engineer median pay. Nominal pay is in the lower half of U.S. metros, though the cost of living usually offsets at least part of that gap.
Where does this Civil Engineer salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Knoxville, TN MSA, SOC 17-2051, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 1,110 Civil Engineers tracked in Knoxville, TN.