Over 300,000 civil engineers work in the United States. This article will discuss how much you can expect to make in a civil engineering career. This will include entry-level and different points in your career. The article will also look at civil engineer insurance policies you need to keep your business profitable and avoid financial loss.
Civil engineers are responsible for designing, building, and supervising infrastructure projects. They work in many locations and split their time between designing projects in an office and monitoring the progress of projects outdoors.
Civil engineers are in high demand from government agencies, the military, and private construction companies. As a civil engineer, you will find a specialty based on your interests and customer needs. You may choose to specialize in road construction or designing bridges.
To be a civil engineer, you will need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a closely related degree. You must get a graduate degree and pass a licensing test to be promoted to senior civil engineer. A professional civil engineer will need to supervise your projects when you are starting out.
Civil engineers work on several projects, which include:
Supervising building construction
Building maintenance
Bridges
Roads
Tunnels
Sewage systems
Railroads
Natural structures
Dams
Airports
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How much do civil engineers make? Civil engineers have an average salary between $70,000 and $100,000, depending on the state. The rate you get paid as a civil engineer will also depend on your experience and level of education.
Civil engineers with master's degrees earn higher wages than those with bachelor's degrees. The responsibilities of a civil engineer will vary based on the job. Because civil engineers are responsible for planning, designing, maintaining, and improving existing infrastructure, your pay may vary depending on the job you are hired to do.
If you are wondering how do civil engineers get paid, the answer is that they get paid from numerous sources. Engineering firms will hire civil engineers to provide services and consultation. This accounts for 49% of civil engineer jobs.
Construction companies will hire civil engineers to help plan the stages of the project and give input at different times. Civil engineers help determine labor requirements, environmental regulations, and problems with the address of a project.
State, local, and federal governments will hire civil engineers to help them design and build public workers' projects. Some civil engineers who serve as project managers will travel from job site to job site supervising government agencies, office buildings, and facilities.
How much does a civil engineer make per year? The 2021 median pay of civil engineers was $88,050 annually. Below is a comparison of the average civil engineer salary by state:
| State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $84,340 |
| Alaska | $99,280 |
| Arizona | $78,690 |
| Arkansas | $77,560 |
| California | $101,230 |
| Colorado | $95,300 |
| Connecticut | $79,570 |
| Delaware | $99,630 |
| Florida | $79,210 |
| Georgia | $73,000 |
| Hawaii | $79,180 |
| Idaho | $79,380 |
| Illinois | $95,580 |
| Indiana | $78,240 |
| Iowa | $80,370 |
| Kansas | $78,920 |
| Kentucky | $79,680 |
| Louisiana | $90,420 |
| Maine | $93,480 |
| Maryland | $82,150 |
| Massachusetts | $97,410 |
| Michigan | $77,450 |
| Minnesota | $96,120 |
| Mississippi | $79,480 |
| Missouri | $78,180 |
| Montana | $76,650 |
| Nebraska | $79,450 |
| Nevada | $90,060 |
| New Hampshire | $79,440 |
| New Jersey | $99,280 |
| New Mexico | $88,360 |
| New York | $98,030 |
| North Carolina | $78,960 |
| North Dakota | $78,240 |
| Ohio | $79,100 |
| Oklahoma | $82,900 |
| Oregon | $90,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $83,390 |
| Rhode Island | $99,280 |
| South Carolina | $77,800 |
| South Dakota | $77,800 |
| Tennessee | $81,420 |
| Texas | $79,140 |
| Utah | $79,140 |
| Vermont | $77,560 |
| Virginia | $84,800 |
| Washington | $95,580 |
| West Virginia | $85,360 |
| Wisconsin | $78,130 |
| Wyoming | $79,380 |
The US's national average income of civil engineers is $6,950 per month. Top earners take home a monthly income of $9,500. The lowest 9% of jobs only make $3,083 monthly. Civil engineers' monthly pay varies by $2,458 on the highest end.
How much money does a civil engineer make a week? Civil engineers make an average of $1,603 weekly. The top earners have a weekly pay of $2,394; the lowest percentage of civil engineers make $712.
The average hourly wage of civil engineers is $40 per hour in the US. The highest civil engineer earners will make $55 an hour or more. Civil engineers with the lowest percentage of earning potential make $17.79.
Civil engineers with a master of civil engineering degree have an average base salary of approximately $100,000 annually. The amount you pay for a master’s degree in civil engineering will differ depending on the program and university. If you don’t count the cost of your undergraduate degree, You can expect to pay an average of $9,000 a year in tuition fees. Master’s degrees take two years to complete on average.
Entry-level civil engineers will have a base salary between $67,000 and $81,000. Below is a state comparison of the average salary of entry-level civil engineers:
| State | Entry-Level Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $56,590 |
| Alaska | $70,490 |
| Arizona | $60,820 |
| Arkansas | $58,650 |
| California | $66,490 |
| Colorado | $61,060 |
| Connecticut | $61,820 |
| Delaware | $64,580 |
| Florida | $48,960 |
| Georgia | $48,690 |
| Hawaii | $60,820 |
| Idaho | $57,890 |
| Illinois | $61,350 |
| Indiana | $59,820 |
| Iowa | $59,720 |
| Kansas | $58,280 |
| Kentucky | $51,750 |
| Louisiana | $48,960 |
| Maine | $60,920 |
| Maryland | $60,820 |
| Massachusetts | $61,990 |
| Michigan | $59,820 |
| Minnesota | $61,520 |
| Mississippi | $47,800 |
| Missouri | $56,520 |
| Montana | $47,960 |
| Nebraska | $59,900 |
| Nevada | $59,710 |
| New Hampshire | $59,630 |
| New Jersey | $61,470 |
| New Mexico | $61,640 |
| New York | $61,300 |
| North Carolina | $59,850 |
| North Dakota | $60,550 |
| Ohio | $59,630 |
| Oklahoma | $59,120 |
| Oregon | $61,370 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,630 |
| Rhode Island | $61,190 |
| South Carolina | $48,140 |
| South Dakota | $59,530 |
| Tennessee | $59,580 |
| Texas | $55,310 |
| Utah | $48,930 |
| Vermont | $60,740 |
| Virginia | $61,070 |
| Washington | $62,710 |
| West Virginia | $47,910 |
| Wisconsin | $59,730 |
| Wyoming | $57,740 |
Civil engineer interns make an average of $41,147 annually. This amounts to a salary of $791 weekly or $3,428 monthly. The top-earning civil engineer interns have an annual salary of $50,000.
Civil engineering interns work for an average rate of $20 per hour. The top earners will make a $24 hourly wage, while the lowest earners may make $17 an hour or less. Unlike some types of internships, civil engineering interns generally don’t work for free.
A civil engineer ranks as the #4 engineering job. Below is a comparison of how much engineers make in other industries:
| Profession | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Biomedical engineer | $97,410 |
| Petroleum engineer | $130,850 |
| Environmental engineer | $96,820 |
| Civil engineer | $88,050 |
| Mechanical engineer | $95,300 |
| Architect | $80,180 |
| Environmental engineering technician | $48,390 |
| Cartographer | $68,900 |
A construction engineer is a civil engineer who manages large-scale projects in the construction industry. Construction engineers must be skilled at coordinating large teams of builders, bricklayers, plumbers, and electrical tradespeople.
These projects require high-level strategic oversight and management skills. A construction engineer must implement complicated building plans and oversee the maintenance of critical US infrastructure.
The answer to the question of how much do construction engineers make is $74,680 annually on average.
How much do construction engineers make an hour? Construction engineers work for an average hourly rate of $36. The average annual salaries for each state are listed below:
| State | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $72,190 |
| Alaska | $82,868 |
| Arizona | $65,257 |
| Arkansas | $64,972 |
| California | $86,524 |
| Colorado | $70,788 |
| Connecticut | $77,596 |
| Delaware | $78,201 |
| Florida | $71,503 |
| Georgia | $65,071 |
| Hawaii | $63,185 |
| Idaho | $70,550 |
| Illinois | $71,271 |
| Indiana | $65,541 |
| Iowa | $69,985 |
| Kansas | $64,170 |
| Kentucky | $82,082 |
| Louisiana | $78,164 |
| Maine | $77,521 |
| Maryland | $70,942 |
| Massachusetts | $76,130 |
| Michigan | $66,634 |
| Minnesota | $72,646 |
| Mississippi | $74,442 |
| Missouri | $72,862 |
| Montana | $60,060 |
| Nebraska | $64,618 |
| Nevada | $69,542 |
| New Hampshire | $70,227 |
| New Jersey | $78,986 |
| New Mexico | $66,886 |
| New York | $86,600 |
| North Carolina | $74,372 |
| North Dakota | $69,561 |
| Ohio | $70,113 |
| Oklahoma | $79,496 |
| Oregon | $82,228 |
| Pennsylvania | $76,789 |
| Rhode Island | $73,188 |
| South Carolina | $64,532 |
| South Dakota | $60,512 |
| Tennessee | $80,616 |
| Texas | $68,130 |
| Utah | $66,029 |
| Vermont | $74,029 |
| Virginia | $76,928 |
| Washington | $83,599 |
| West Virginia | $69,944 |
| Wisconsin | $66,874 |
| Wyoming | $57,182 |
Your civil engineering business must purchase several types of insurance to meet requirements and protect your business from devastating lawsuits and financial loss. These insurance policies are described below.
A business owner’s policy combines the coverage of other policies into one. You will get the protection of general liability insurance and commercial property insurance. Business owners’ policies will also often include business interruption insurance. This insurance policy compensates you for lost income and other expenses from physical damage to your property.
NEXT is an excellent pick for a business owner’s policy. They offer a streamlined online process with excellent policy options. You get expedited claims, quick coverage, and no hidden fees. When purchasing multiple policies, you can save 10% or more. The company has a convenient app for Apple and Android devices. NEXT has an A- from AM Best and a B+ from the Better Business Bureau.
A general liability policy protects your business from third-party liability claims. It will protect your business claims like::
Bodily injury
Property damage
Personal injury
A civil engineer often needs to meet with clients in an office or a work site. You will want to ensure you are covered for expensive medical costs if a client slips or gets hurt during your meeting.
Thimble is our recommendation for general liability insurance. They make it easy to get short-term general liability coverage down to the month, day, and hour. This makes it perfect for civil engineers who need to get coverage for the duration of a project. Thimble has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Your professional liability policy protects you from mistakes you make in your business. Your business mistakes might lead to financial loss from clients, who hit you with a catastrophic lawsuit. This policy can save you from negligence claims and failure to meet contract obligations.
Hiscox offers specialty professional liability insurance designed to cover risks in your field. They have knowledgeable, licensed insurance agents who offer a personal touch to your policy. Hiscox serves over 500,000 customers and has an A rating from AM Best.
A commercial property insurance policy protects your physical assets from damage on business premises. The policy typically covers events that include:
Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Lightning
Explosions
Water
Wind
For commercial property insurance, we recommend CoverWallet. They offer quick quotes without a commitment to buying a policy. You can shop policies from over ten partners and manage these policies from a single app. CoverWallet has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Commercial auto insurance protects your business and its vehicles. This policy gives you liability protection against accidents your vehicles are involved in. It also helps you repair damage to your vehicle and get a replacement if it is totaled.
You will need this coverage if you use vehicles for business purposes. Standard personal auto insurance does not cover your vehicle for most work-related activities. You will need this protection to meet with clients, visit an accountant, and transport materials.
Tivly is our recommended pick for commercial auto insurance. They offer a vast insurance platform with over 200 partners to pick from. You can generate quotes from multiple providers simultaneously to simplify the buying process. They have a 4-second phone answer rate from customer service. Tivly has an A rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Workers’ compensation insurance pays workers when they are sick and injured from their duties. This coverage is required in most states for businesses that meet a certain employee threshold. If your business has employees, you need this policy to provide medical benefits and disability payments to injured employees.
The Hartford offers an excellent workers' compensation policy. They make it easy for employees to find care with their “nurse you back to health” program. The company uses experienced nurse case managers to help coordinate their treatment for physical, emotional, and occupational therapy. The Hartford has an A- rating from AM Best.
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1 / 5
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
1 / 5
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
1 / 5
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
5 / 5
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
5 / 5
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
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