Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (SOC 17-3022) earn a median $64,950 a year ($31.23 an hour) in the United States, with 68,520 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Oregon.
What civil engineering technologists and technicians do
Civil engineering technologists and technicians apply the principles of civil engineering to planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities, working under the direction of engineers or physical scientists. Typical tasks include calculating dimensions, square footage, and quantities of materials from plans, reading and reviewing blueprints and structural specifications to determine the sizes and layouts of project elements, and drafting detailed drawings and design layouts that conform to specifications. They confer with supervisors about project details such as plan preparation and acceptance testing, and may visit project sites and report maintenance problems to a supervisor. Some also perform inspections. The occupation differs from civil engineers, who hold design responsibility, from civil drafters, who focus on producing drawings, and from surveying and mapping technicians, who collect and process location data. They also analyze proposed site factors, prepare maps, graphs, and diagrams that illustrate their findings, and document project activities and data.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported education level is a postsecondary certificate.
Also called: Civil Engineering Technician, Civil Designer, Civil Engineer Helper, Civil Engineer's Aide, Bridge Construction Inspector.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $21.26 | $24.76 | $31.23 | $38.78 | $47.59 | $33.17 | 68,520 |
| Annual | $44,220 | $51,490 | $64,950 | $80,650 | $98,980 | $68,990 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where civil engineering technologists and technicians earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $29.95 | $37.03 | $41.06 | $47.10 | $49.61 | $41.05 | 970 | 0.49 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $62,300 | $77,030 | $85,390 | $97,970 | $103,200 | $85,390 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $26.29 | $31.54 | $40.14 | $48.94 | $53.44 | $41.14 | 7,250 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $54,690 | $65,610 | $83,490 | $101,790 | $111,150 | $85,570 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $25.96 | $30.98 | $38.26 | $45.02 | $49.50 | $38.55 | 2,090 | 0.59 | 1.33 |
| Annual | $54,000 | $64,430 | $79,580 | $93,640 | $102,970 | $80,190 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $23.62 | $30.00 | $38.07 | $47.99 | $57.69 | $39.38 | 4,190 | 0.69 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $49,130 | $62,390 | $79,190 | $99,820 | $119,990 | $81,910 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $29.74 | $34.37 | $37.83 | $43.70 | $45.98 | $38.21 | 2,030 | 0.69 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $61,860 | $71,490 | $78,690 | $90,890 | $95,640 | $79,470 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $26.29 | $31.54 | $40.14 | $48.94 | $53.44 | $41.14 | 7,250 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $54,690 | $65,610 | $83,490 | $101,790 | $111,150 | $85,570 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $20.44 | $22.50 | $28.55 | $37.38 | $44.50 | $30.82 | 4,470 | 0.32 | 0.72 |
| Annual | $42,520 | $46,800 | $59,390 | $77,740 | $92,560 | $64,100 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $23.62 | $30.00 | $38.07 | $47.99 | $57.69 | $39.38 | 4,190 | 0.69 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $49,130 | $62,390 | $79,190 | $99,820 | $119,990 | $81,910 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $20.56 | $23.59 | $30.48 | $37.29 | $46.71 | $32.29 | 4,030 | 0.41 | 0.92 |
| Annual | $42,760 | $49,060 | $63,410 | $77,560 | $97,160 | $67,170 | ||||
| Georgia | Hourly | $17.33 | $19.98 | $24.21 | $31.26 | $39.55 | $26.77 | 3,840 | 0.79 | 1.78 |
| Annual | $36,040 | $41,550 | $50,360 | $65,030 | $82,250 | $55,680 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Napa, CA | Hourly | $25.43 | $41.70 | $49.23 | $60.24 | $60.24 | $47.18 | 40 | 0.46 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $52,900 | $86,740 | $102,390 | $125,310 | $125,310 | $98,140 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $32.41 | $36.58 | $47.12 | $53.44 | $64.58 | $46.97 | 420 | 0.37 | 0.84 |
| Annual | $67,410 | $76,080 | $98,020 | $111,150 | $134,330 | $97,690 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $32.31 | $38.15 | $46.88 | $50.00 | $62.82 | $47.70 | 1,270 | 0.54 | 1.22 |
| Annual | $67,210 | $79,350 | $97,510 | $104,000 | $130,660 | $99,210 | ||||
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | Hourly | $30.28 | $37.28 | $46.83 | $51.55 | $59.82 | $45.07 | 130 | 0.64 | 1.45 |
| Annual | $62,970 | $77,530 | $97,410 | $107,210 | $124,420 | $93,750 | ||||
| Vallejo, CA | Hourly | $37.58 | $43.19 | $46.57 | $57.66 | $62.34 | $48.90 | 40 | 0.25 | 0.56 |
| Annual | $78,160 | $89,830 | $96,860 | $119,940 | $129,660 | $101,700 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $24.97 | $30.82 | $39.12 | $48.29 | $60.83 | $41.48 | 2,250 | 0.50 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $51,940 | $64,100 | $81,360 | $100,440 | $126,520 | $86,280 | ||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $22.34 | $22.66 | $27.51 | $36.59 | $39.42 | $29.41 | 1,840 | 0.97 | 2.19 |
| Annual | $46,470 | $47,130 | $57,220 | $76,110 | $81,990 | $61,180 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $18.16 | $22.64 | $28.26 | $37.97 | $42.07 | $29.91 | 1,820 | 0.63 | 1.43 |
| Annual | $37,770 | $47,100 | $58,780 | $78,970 | $87,510 | $62,210 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $24.69 | $30.62 | $40.38 | $49.28 | $49.28 | $41.07 | 1,670 | 0.27 | 0.60 |
| Annual | $51,350 | $63,680 | $83,990 | $102,500 | $102,500 | $85,430 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | $23.28 | $28.72 | $30.60 | $38.10 | $41.39 | $32.51 | 1,330 | 0.46 | 1.04 |
| Annual | $48,420 | $59,740 | $63,650 | $79,240 | $86,100 | $67,620 | ||||
Top industries employing civil engineering technologists and technicians
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services employ 51.6% of civil engineering technologists and technicians nationally (35,380 jobs) at a median $62,970 a year ($30.28 an hour), followed by State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (22.0%) and Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (18.8%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services NAICS 541300 | 35,380 | 51.6% | $62,970 | $30.28 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200 | 15,050 | 22.0% | $61,950 | $29.78 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300 | 12,870 | 18.8% | $76,190 | $36.63 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction NAICS 236200 | 1,230 | 1.8% | $66,750 | $32.09 |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services NAICS 541900 | 340 | 0.5% | $77,360 | $37.19 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (68,520). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $58,320 for civil engineering technologists and technicians in May 2021 and $64,950 in May 2025, with employment of 64,170 and 68,520.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $58,320 | $28.04 | 64,170 |
| May 2022 | $59,630 | $28.67 | 62,350 |
| May 2023 | $60,700 | $29.18 | 63,560 |
| May 2024 | $64,200 | $30.86 | 62,130 |
| May 2025 | $64,950 | $31.23 | 68,520 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
50 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon profile | $41.06 | $85,390 | $62,300 | $103,200 | 970 | 0.49 | 1.12 |
| 2 | California profile | $40.14 | $83,490 | $54,690 | $111,150 | 7,250 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| 3 | Washington profile | $38.26 | $79,580 | $54,000 | $102,970 | 2,090 | 0.59 | 1.33 |
| 4 | Illinois profile | $38.07 | $79,190 | $49,130 | $119,990 | 4,190 | 0.69 | 1.56 |
| 5 | Minnesota profile | $37.83 | $78,690 | $61,860 | $95,640 | 2,030 | 0.69 | 1.56 |
| 6 | Nevada profile | $35.97 | $74,810 | $44,200 | $103,360 | 800 | 0.52 | 1.18 |
| 7 | Vermont profile | $35.63 | $74,100 | $60,520 | $91,600 | 200 | 0.67 | 1.53 |
| 8 | Wisconsin profile | $35.56 | $73,970 | $48,640 | $94,320 | 1,560 | 0.53 | 1.20 |
| 9 | New York profile | $35.48 | $73,790 | $46,730 | $99,490 | 1,710 | 0.18 | 0.40 |
| 10 | Connecticut profile | $35.30 | $73,430 | $39,090 | $104,420 | 330 | 0.20 | 0.45 |
| 11 | Iowa profile | $34.88 | $72,540 | $46,520 | $90,760 | 1,130 | 0.72 | 1.64 |
| 12 | Massachusetts profile | $34.30 | $71,350 | $49,110 | $106,650 | 680 | 0.19 | 0.42 |
| 13 | Alaska profile | $34.13 | $70,990 | $46,880 | $101,550 | 230 | 0.72 | 1.62 |
| 14 | New Jersey profile | $33.97 | $70,650 | $43,200 | $99,360 | 760 | 0.18 | 0.40 |
| 15 | Louisiana profile | $32.71 | $68,030 | $45,900 | $99,010 | 410 | 0.21 | 0.48 |
| 16 | Maine profile | $32.47 | $67,540 | $49,660 | $87,290 | 290 | 0.45 | 1.02 |
| 17 | Virginia profile | $32.26 | $67,100 | $45,300 | $99,320 | 1,480 | 0.36 | 0.82 |
| 18 | Nebraska profile | $32.02 | $66,590 | $49,210 | $99,750 | 370 | 0.36 | 0.81 |
| 19 | North Dakota profile | $31.27 | $65,030 | $49,080 | $84,790 | 400 | 0.93 | 2.12 |
| 20 | Ohio profile | $31.12 | $64,730 | $45,970 | $94,890 | 1,790 | 0.32 | 0.73 |
| 21 | Utah profile | $31.00 | $64,490 | $40,650 | $95,140 | 630 | 0.36 | 0.82 |
| 22 | New Hampshire profile | $31.00 | $64,480 | $45,760 | $88,610 | 300 | 0.44 | 0.99 |
| 23 | Hawaii profile | $30.97 | $64,410 | $52,000 | $81,860 | 120 | 0.20 | 0.44 |
| 24 | Indiana profile | $30.96 | $64,390 | $43,880 | $87,350 | 1,040 | 0.33 | 0.74 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania profile | $30.60 | $63,650 | $47,740 | $83,840 | 2,290 | 0.38 | 0.86 |
| 26 | Rhode Island profile | $30.60 | $63,650 | $51,040 | $82,770 | 140 | 0.28 | 0.64 |
| 27 | Arizona profile | $30.56 | $63,560 | $43,990 | $99,160 | 1,050 | 0.32 | 0.73 |
| 28 | Florida profile | $30.48 | $63,410 | $42,760 | $97,160 | 4,030 | 0.41 | 0.92 |
| 29 | Idaho profile | $30.39 | $63,200 | $38,580 | $95,850 | 440 | 0.51 | 1.16 |
| 30 | Maryland profile | $30.17 | $62,760 | $46,370 | $87,100 | 620 | 0.22 | 0.51 |
| 31 | New Mexico profile | $30.02 | $62,440 | $47,380 | $86,240 | 710 | 0.81 | 1.84 |
| 32 | Delaware profile | $29.86 | $62,120 | $39,760 | $79,180 | 350 | 0.73 | 1.65 |
| 33 | Montana profile | $29.53 | $61,410 | $47,910 | $78,750 | 310 | 0.60 | 1.36 |
| 34 | Missouri profile | $29.50 | $61,350 | $43,060 | $82,640 | 1,300 | 0.44 | 1.01 |
| 35 | South Dakota profile | $29.27 | $60,880 | $47,120 | $78,340 | 460 | 1.00 | 2.27 |
| 36 | Oklahoma profile | $28.87 | $60,050 | $42,130 | $86,790 | 400 | 0.24 | 0.54 |
| 37 | Kentucky profile | $28.71 | $59,710 | $49,230 | $75,200 | 1,860 | 0.93 | 2.11 |
| 38 | Kansas profile | $28.58 | $59,440 | $41,270 | $80,650 | 1,060 | 0.74 | 1.67 |
| 39 | Texas profile | $28.55 | $59,390 | $42,520 | $92,560 | 4,470 | 0.32 | 0.72 |
| 40 | Colorado profile | $28.39 | $59,050 | $46,450 | $84,550 | 1,820 | 0.63 | 1.44 |
| 41 | North Carolina profile | $28.22 | $58,700 | $44,940 | $81,740 | 2,760 | 0.56 | 1.27 |
| 42 | Michigan profile | $27.88 | $57,990 | $44,840 | $85,650 | 2,930 | 0.67 | 1.51 |
| 43 | Tennessee profile | $27.53 | $57,270 | $43,630 | $78,010 | 1,650 | 0.50 | 1.14 |
| 44 | Wyoming profile | $26.99 | $56,150 | $43,280 | $72,270 | 300 | 1.08 | 2.45 |
| 45 | South Carolina profile | $25.82 | $53,710 | $41,020 | $79,660 | 1,480 | 0.64 | 1.46 |
| 46 | West Virginia profile | $25.64 | $53,340 | $35,110 | $75,440 | 520 | 0.74 | 1.67 |
| 47 | Alabama profile | $25.36 | $52,750 | $35,610 | $79,240 | 1,800 | 0.85 | 1.93 |
| 48 | Arkansas profile | $24.88 | $51,750 | $34,620 | $77,910 | ** | ** | ** |
| 49 | Georgia profile | $24.21 | $50,360 | $36,040 | $82,250 | 3,840 | 0.79 | 1.78 |
| 50 | Mississippi profile | $22.32 | $46,430 | $33,610 | $75,200 | 800 | 0.69 | 1.57 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (17-3020), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 17-3022 Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 17-3022, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 17-3022.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.