Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 318,300 people employed as civil engineers in the United States. The median annual salary is $88,050. Entry level employees earn approximately $60,550 per year and senior employees earn approximately $133,320 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• 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.
• Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
• Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.
• Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
• Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.
• Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects.
• Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
• Analyze manufacturing processes or byproducts to identify engineering solutions to minimize the output of carbon or other pollutants.
• Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites.
• Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.

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