Civil Engineers in Pennsylvania
Thinking about a career as a Civil Engineers in Pennsylvania? Here’s what you need to know. 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 Pennsylvania?
For civil engineers working in Pennsylvania, wages run about $92,460 per year (or roughly $44.45/hour).Earnings range from $67,240 at the 10th percentile to $137,520 at the 90th percentile.
| Wage Statistic | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,240 | $32.33 |
| 25th percentile | $76,250 | $36.66 |
| Median (50th) | $92,460 | $44.45 |
| 75th percentile | $114,710 | $55.15 |
| 90th percentile | $137,520 | $66.12 |
The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Pennsylvania relative to the national average — is 1.05.
National Wage Comparison
Nationally, civil engineers earn a median of $72,457 per year ($34.84/hour), exceeding the Pennsylvania median.
Employment Outlook
There are roughly 249,734 civil engineers nationwide. In Pennsylvania alone, around 14,610 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 4,130 civil engineers.
Top Pennsylvania Metros for Civil Engineers
These are the Pennsylvania metros with the most civil engineers in Pennsylvania.
| Metro Area | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 6,270 | $96,630 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 3,630 | $95,770 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 1,210 | $92,000 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 530 | $97,430 |
| Lancaster, PA | 440 | $88,790 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 430 | $85,440 |
| Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA | 390 | $89,960 |
| Reading, PA | 310 | $96,890 |
| Altoona, PA | 190 | $92,000 |
| State College, PA | 190 | $89,420 |
| Johnstown, PA | 180 | $76,750 |
| Williamsport, PA | 150 | $89,490 |
| Erie, PA | 110 | $92,730 |
| Chambersburg, PA | 50 | $89,850 |
| Lebanon, PA | 30 | $97,510 |
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
These states pay the most for 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
Day-to-day, 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?
Related college programs include:
- Civil Engineering
- Construction Engineering
Featured schools near , edit
Related Careers
Other careers like 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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