# Civil Engineers

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/civil-engineers
- SOC code: 17-2051.00
- Career family: Architecture and engineering
- Median annual pay: $100,840 (10th percentile $68,240, 90th percentile $163,220)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +6.4%
- Openings a year: 22,700
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 90 |
| Investigative (I) | 69 |
| Artistic (A) | 20 |
| Social (S) | 12 |
| Enterprising (E) | 28 |
| Conventional (C) | 60 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 89/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 86/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 82/100)
- Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment (importance 79/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 79/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 79/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 78/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 78/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 76/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 76/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science, Systems Analysis, Time Management, Operations Analysis

## Knowledge

Design, Engineering and Technology, Building and Construction, Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Public Safety and Security

## Also called

Airport Engineer, Architectural Engineer, Asphalt Engineer, Base Engineer, Bridge Design Engineer, Bridge Engineer, Building Construction Engineer, Building Engineer, Cadastral Engineer, Cartographic Engineer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Civil Engineering](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1408) (CIP 1408, 326 colleges)
- [Construction Engineering](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1433) (CIP 1433, 59 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Arizona State University Campus Immersion](https://www.collegesref.com/college/arizona-state-university-campus-immersion-101) | Construction Engineering | not reported | $116,219 | not reported |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Civil Engineering | $84,461 | $108,548 | $11,634 |
| [Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art-704) | Civil Engineering | not reported | $108,466 | not reported |
| [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york-656) | Civil Engineering | not reported | $108,246 | not reported |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Civil Engineering | $81,387 | $106,308 | $18,817 |
| [Oregon State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/oregon-state-university-2035) | Construction Engineering | $81,808 | $105,964 | $20,875 |
| [Santa Clara University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/santa-clara-university-2371) | Civil Engineering | not reported | $105,594 | $21,500 |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Civil Engineering | $79,750 | $105,199 | $21,000 |

## Related careers

- [Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/civil-engineering-technologists-and-technicians): $64,950 median pay
- [Transportation Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-engineers): $100,840 median pay
- [Construction Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/construction-managers): $114,990 median pay
- [Water/Wastewater Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/water-wastewater-engineers): $100,840 median pay
- [Construction and Building Inspectors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/construction-and-building-inspectors): $74,690 median pay
- [Environmental Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-engineers): $107,110 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.