Water/Wastewater Engineer Salary

[redbridge]

I have 9 years experience designing and overseeing construction projects, preparing contract documents, working with funding agencies and many other aspects of engineering. I was wondering what the average engineer salary was with this experience. I do have my PE. I work for a small firm so I assume my salary would be less. My current salary is 56K. Thanks for any input.

 

[COEngineeer]

When I have my PE with 9 years of experience, I hope I am making more than that.

 

[redbridge]

Thanks for the reply but what do you expect to make? What salary range are you in now and how much experience do you have? Thanks for your response.

 

[COEngineeer]

My buddy just got his PE (took it the first time) and they gave him a raise from 42k to 55 k. I think 55 k is a good number for a new PE. So lets say you have 5 more years experience than a new PE. Lets assume you get 4% raise/year (pretty normal) then you should be making 55k x(1.04^5) = 66,900.

 

[COEngineeer]

I dont want to say how much i make since i know someone that checks this forum occansionally. I just hope my calculation is correct because thats what I hope I would be making minimum with 9years of experience. I am in colorado btw.

 

[Twoballcane]

hhhmmm I have 10 years and I am making over 85k with no PE in the NE, but the standard of living is higher here. Since Im in industry, a PE is not required, but I am still trying to persue one.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[Twoballcane]

oh sorry, this is not in wast managment, but in ME analysis...

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[redbridge]

I am located in the TN/KY area. Standard of living is lowerer here. I know people who are not registered making 85K in Atlanta. Maybe I should move.

 

[cousink]

In Southern California, $25/hr is the starting wage for graduate civil engineers. Depending on the variety and scale of the projects you have been managing for nine years--with a PE nonetheless, you could be making much more than 56k. I would venture a guess that would be 85k per year, plus or minus 10k. The downside to the high salary here is that since the home prices are atmospherical, you might have to also settle into a home twice as small as the one you are currently enjoying.

 

[ttuterry]

Hmm i am making 46K a year and i am only 3 months out of college with my BS in CE. Sounds to me that you are worth far more than 56K...If i'm making 56K with my PE in 9 years then i shouldn't have even went to college

 

[redbridge]

ttuterry, thanks for your response, where do you live, it seems like geographic location has a lot to do with salaries. I appreciate everyones input, this info will help me at my next review.

 

[ttuterry]

I live in New Mexico, but i also work for the government...But i have friends from college who have recently graduated or are about to graduate and they have accepted entry level jobs at 45-50K and they are not working for the government...

 

[ttuterry]

to add to that, the jobs they accepted have been around the dallas/ft worth area and also around Houston and Austin...and i assume cost of living is probably higher in those cities than in your area

 

[Twoballcane]

Location really makes a difference. Here a 1500 sqft house is $325k and that is an hour outside of boston...

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[kchayfie]

As I'm in the UK, talking numbers doesn't really make a lot of sense but if it helps I'll give you some comparison to my standard of living.

After 5 years in the UK water/wastewater industry, I take home roughly twice what it takes to pay my mortgage and my gas, water, electric, telephone, etc bills. Which leaves aobut half my pay packet for trivialities like food, running my car, buying clothes, etc. My house has 3-bedrooms and is the right sort of size for a young family and my car is a little runabout thing with pretty good mpg so its not the most extravagant lifestyle but not exactly frugal.

If your pay extends to cover the cost of a more glamorous lifestyle where you are, I'd suggest you are probably be doing OK. If you're barely covering the rent on a shoebox with a shared bathroom then you could probably do better.

 

[redbridge]

Where I live a brand new 1500 sq ft house is $150,000. I guess location does make a difference. Thanks for all or your responses.

 

[whyun]

$400 to $450 per square feet here in Los Angeles. Engineers here with about 10 years experience make around 70k to 90k. I'm talking in general terms and about those not in upper management.

Size of the firm makes a big difference in salary. Also whether it is public/privately owned.

 

[ee2002]

Whyun,

How does the size of the firm relate to the salary? Do smaller firms pay more or less than larger firms?

 

[COEngineeer]

I think the median income should be around:

45K x (1.05^Y)

Y= years of experience (1-10 Yrs).

 

[whyun]

ee2002,

My personal experience is that larger firms paid higher salary than smaller firms for the same job duties.

Public corporations or companies with ESOP's generally pay higher than one owner or two or three owner partnership.

Of course these are all general observations. You can have an employee at small firms making more than ones at big A/E firms but you have to be the owner's friend/college roommate, or at least have a very close relationship on a personal level.

Salaries also vary within the various branches of civil disciplines and being a structural engineer I can say we make, generally, less than pure civil.