Civil Engineer Salary in California
Median annual pay in California
$122,500
$58.89/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Adjusted for cost of living in California
$110,639
Regional Price Parity: 110.720 (U.S. = 100)
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Difference from the U.S. median ($100,840): +$21,660 (+21.5%)
California ranks 1st of 51 states by median pay, and 10th of 51 after adjusting for cost of living.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $77,980 | $37.49 |
| 25th percentile | $96,590 | $46.44 |
| Median | $122,500 | $58.89 |
| 75th percentile | $149,350 | $71.80 |
| 90th percentile | $175,940 | $84.59 |
Employment
- Employment in California
- 55,180
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Comparison
Compared with the U.S.
- Median annual pay in California
- $122,500
- Median annual pay in the U.S.
- $100,840
- Difference
- +$21,660 (+21.5%)
Cost of living
$122,500 ÷ 110.720 × 100 = $110,639
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Ranking
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| California This page | ||
| 1st | $122,500 | $110,639 10th |
| Alaska | ||
| 2nd | $114,730 | $112,086 6th |
| Washington | ||
| 3rd | $110,000 | $102,791 21st |
Similar occupations
Related occupations from O*NET, in O*NET's order, with their BLS median pay. Each figure shows the place it is for.
- Civil Engineering Technologist and Technician salary in the U.S.
$64,950/year U.S.
- Construction Manager salary in California
$133,160/year California
- Construction and Building Inspector salary in the U.S.
$74,690/year U.S.
- Environmental Engineer salary in the U.S.
$107,110/year U.S.
- Architect, Except Landscape and Naval salary in California
$108,540/year California
- Industrial Engineer salary in California
$124,600/year California
Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- +6.4%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- Bachelor's degree
BLS publishes employment projections only for the U.S. as a whole. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Specialties included in this occupation
- Transportation Engineers
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
BLS publishes one wage figure for all Civil Engineers; it does not publish separate data for these specialties.
O*NET 31.0
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Civil Engineer salary in nearby places
- Civil Engineer salary in Arizona
$89,660/year Arizona
- Civil Engineer salary in Nevada
$104,310/year Nevada
- Civil Engineer salary in Oregon
$105,250/year Oregon
- Civil Engineer salary in the U.S.
$100,840/year U.S.
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations and specialties: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
- Neighboring states: U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2024.
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