Civil Engineers in California
Considering working as a Civil Engineers in California? Here’s what the data says. 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. Includes architectural, structural, traffic, and geotechnical engineers. Excludes “Hydrologists” (19-2043).
What do Civil Engineers Make in California?
The civil engineers working in California, wages run about $118,450 per year (or about $56.95/hour).Annual wages span from $77,620 at the 10th percentile to $171,760 at the 90th percentile.
| Wage Statistic | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $77,620 | $37.32 |
| 25th percentile | $94,450 | $45.41 |
| Median (50th) | $118,450 | $56.95 |
| 75th percentile | $145,730 | $70.06 |
| 90th percentile | $171,760 | $82.58 |
The job concentration index in California nationwide is 1.31, indicating that civil engineers are more concentrated here than the national average.
National Wage Comparison
Nationally, civil engineers earn a median of $72,457 per year ($34.84/hour), above the California median.
Employment Outlook
Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 249,734 civil engineers across the United States. In California alone, around 54,640 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 4,130 civil engineers.
Top California Metros for Civil Engineers
The largest metro-area employers of civil engineers in California.
| Metro Area | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 16,390 | $105,290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 9,920 | $126,560 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 6,390 | $106,350 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 5,190 | $130,310 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,620 | $109,250 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 3,180 | $129,260 |
| Fresno, CA | 1,240 | $110,920 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 760 | $98,160 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 700 | $106,420 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 680 | $110,920 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 610 | $108,010 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 550 | $106,430 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 460 | $115,970 |
| Yuba City, CA | 410 | $117,740 |
| Vallejo, CA | 370 | $113,500 |
| Redding, CA | 330 | $127,130 |
| Modesto, CA | 300 | $103,040 |
| Salinas, CA | 250 | $112,510 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 190 | $116,440 |
| Visalia, CA | 190 | $101,610 |
| Chico, CA | 170 | $94,580 |
| Napa, CA | 160 | $122,820 |
| El Centro, CA | 110 | $106,380 |
| Merced, CA | 50 | $99,600 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 30 | $103,210 |
Top States for Civil Engineers Employment
View the states that employ the most civil engineers work.
| State | Number Employed |
|---|---|
| California | 54,640 |
| Texas | 33,790 |
| Florida | 22,780 |
| New York | 17,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 14,610 |
| Colorado | 13,510 |
| Illinois | 13,400 |
| North Carolina | 12,670 |
| Washington | 11,900 |
| Virginia | 11,030 |
| Massachusetts | 9,460 |
| Georgia | 8,820 |
| Ohio | 8,520 |
| Michigan | 7,760 |
| South Carolina | 7,460 |
| Wisconsin | 7,050 |
| New Jersey | 6,780 |
| Arizona | 6,270 |
| Alabama | 5,920 |
| Missouri | 5,280 |
Highest-Paying States for Civil Engineers
Where civil engineers earn the most: civil engineers.
| State | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $118,450 |
| Rhode Island | $112,250 |
| Alaska | $107,240 |
| Washington | $105,090 |
| New Mexico | $104,600 |
| Massachusetts | $104,450 |
| Mississippi | $103,940 |
| New Jersey | $103,690 |
| Oregon | $103,070 |
| New York | $102,440 |
Skills
Key civil engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Abilities
The abilities that matter most for civil engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Daily Tasks
Civil Engineers typically:
- 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.
Work Activities
- Getting Information
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
- Working with Computers
- Processing Information
- Scheduling Work and Activities
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization
Tools & Technology
Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Apache Subversion SVN, Autodesk AutoCAD In-demand technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD
What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?
Several college majors map to this occupation:
- Civil Engineering
- Construction Engineering
Featured schools near , edit
Related Careers
Careers similar to civil engineers include:
- Construction Managers
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
- Transportation Engineers
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
Also Known As
Airport Engineer, Architectural Engineer, Asphalt Engineer, Base Engineer, Bridge Design Engineer, Bridge Engineer, Building Construction Engineer, Building Engineer, Cadastral Engineer, Cartographic Engineer, City Engineer, Civil Engineer, Civil Engineering Intern, Civil Project Engineer, Concrete Engineer.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
- BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- O*NET-SOC code: 17-2051.00
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