Civil Engineers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Architecture and Engineering · SOC 17-2051 · O*NET 17-2051.00
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.
Civil Engineers fall under the Architecture and Engineering category in the U.S. occupational classification. Civil Engineers earn a median salary of $99,590 per year, ranking in the top 14% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +5.0% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about civil engineers right now
Civil engineers design, build, and maintain the physical world around us: roads, bridges, airports, tunnels, dams, water-treatment plants, and the foundations and structural systems of buildings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 23,600 openings each year over the decade. The median annual wage for civil engineers was $99,590 in May 2024; the highest 10 percent earned more than $160,990. Entry requires a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a related specialty from an ABET-accredited program. Most civil engineers pursue licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE), which requires passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam after graduation, accumulating about four years of supervised experience, and passing the PE exam; a PE stamp is required to sign off on plans and is essentially mandatory for promotion in most firms. The trend parents should know is that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) authorized roughly $1.2 trillion in spending through 2026, much of it directed at bridges, transit, water, and clean energy projects, fueling sustained demand for civil engineers. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates the U.S. still faces a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure investment gap, which means careers should remain stable even as funding cycles shift. Teens who enjoy building things, are strong in physics and calculus, and like seeing tangible results from their work tend to thrive; school robotics, civil engineering summer camps, and tours of construction sites are great early exposure.
What do civil engineers earn?
The median annual wage for civil engineers is $99,590. That puts civil engineers at #113 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $65,920 |
| 25th percentile | $78,790 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $99,590 |
| 75th percentile | $128,290 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $160,990 |
| Median hourly wage | $47.88/hr |
Is civil engineers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for civil engineers is +5.0%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 368K positions in 2024 to 387K in 2034, a net change of 19K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do civil engineers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working civil engineers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
- 2.Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
- 3.Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- 4.Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
- 5.Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- 6.Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
- 7.Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
- 8.Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
Top skills for civil engineers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become civil engineer?
The standard path into civil engineers begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for civil engineers
Civil Engineers are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about civil engineers
What is the median salary for civil engineers?
The median annual salary for civil engineers is $99,590 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is civil engineers a growing career?
BLS projects +5.0% growth for civil engineers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become civil engineer?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to civil engineers?
Related occupations within the Architecture and Engineering category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.