Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
(OP)
Based on industry or discipline, where's the most(or least) money at in Civil Engineering?
In other words, for people who are roughly at the same points in their career, who's likely to be earning more money? I'm specifically asking about construction, structural, transportation, geotechnical, and land development. There may be other disciplines under Civil that I'm missing.
If anyone is able to attach numbers to this, that would be great.
I'm also wondering about the possibility that industry could play a big role? For example, Civil Engineers employed in federal or oil/gas will be the biggest earners regardless of discipline.
In other words, for people who are roughly at the same points in their career, who's likely to be earning more money? I'm specifically asking about construction, structural, transportation, geotechnical, and land development. There may be other disciplines under Civil that I'm missing.
If anyone is able to attach numbers to this, that would be great.
I'm also wondering about the possibility that industry could play a big role? For example, Civil Engineers employed in federal or oil/gas will be the biggest earners regardless of discipline.





RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
So far I've found payscale.com to be the most useful, because it allows the user to dig down a little bit discipline and experience. I also found the site to give accurate data on my own salary as well.
Median pay for mid-level engineers:
Geotechnical, transportation, environmental, or structural engineer: $69,215 < median pay < $69,746
Construction engineer: $72,132
*Project engineers - land development = $62,152
*Information on land development sparse. A good chunk of mid-level land development engineers move into project management, which compensates better.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
*Principal Structural Engineer = $121,948
Senior Structural Engineer = $94,041
Engineering Project Manager = $93,285
Senior Geotechnical Engineer = $92,151
Senior Environmental Engineer = $91,578
*I'm not a structural engineer, so I can't speak to the huge gap between principal structural and senior structural.There may be a huge difference in responsibility and/or qualifications.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
A senior structural engineer is probably managing teams, and may be stamping plans (depends on the office), but is less likely to be making the business decisions.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
As of May 2014, some industries which pay Civil Engineers the most:
Oil and Gas Extraction - $126,830 (560)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing - $104,230 (480)
Waste Treatment and Disposal - $102,380 (580)
Pipeline Transportation - $101,830 (350)
Waste Management and Remediation Services - $97,100 (1150)
Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction - $94,410 (630)
Electric Power Generation Transmission and Distribution - $90,210 (1170)
Architectural Engineering and Related Services - $88,710 (137,560)
--The number of people employed in the industry is in parenthesis.
-- "Architectural Engineering and Related Services" is only listed for perspective.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
I work in land development and flood/drainage. Based on recent job offers, the offers for the flood/drainage positions were substantially higher than the LD positions.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
The former only sell their work, the latter move a lot of money and skim off a bit. But I don't know if this reflects in the wages somehow. Would be hard to compare anyway since you wantto take actual workload into account too, and there's fewer data on this.
But, if CElder2 doesnt see this as thread hijacking, I'd like to hear some observations on this.
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
RE: Highest (and lowest) Paid Civil Engineering Disciplines or Industries
Consulting offices pay project engineers (non management):
43k€ / 49k€ / 56k€ a year (25 / 50 75 percentile, respectivly)
for 40/42/44 hours a week (same percentiles, actuial hours, not contractual)
While plant building companies pay:
45k / 52k / 62k
for 40 / 41 / 44 hours a week
I could not adjust the filters for actual engineering discipline (CE, ME ...) and it looked like CE/Architects as consultants make even less. Take this with a huge heap of salt.