Engineering and Architecture · Career brief

Civil Engineer

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Civil Engineer at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$100,840

High national median pay

2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

6.4%

Steady projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

22,700

Lots of annual openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is typically expected

Bachelor's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

ChooseField take

The strongest national signals are pay, growth, and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a bachelor's-degree path. Main tradeoff: Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

Before choosing, compare:Mechanical Engineer Electrical Engineer Architect

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Civil Engineer with another field Explore rankings in Engineering and Architecture Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$100,840

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

6.4%employment growth22,700openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Bachelor's degree

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

380,600

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Civil engineers (17-2051).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Getting Information4.6
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment4.1
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.1

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic6.4
Investigative5.2
Conventional4.6
Enterprising2.7
Artistic2.2
Social1.7

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Design Engineering and Technology Building and Construction Mathematics

Software and tools named in job postings

Autodesk AutoCAD Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Autodesk Revit Bentley MicroStation

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Complete a small design-build-test project with real constraints: measure, model, build or simulate, test, and revise after the first failure.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

Field-specific evidence

What changes the picture

Average base salary is rising

$148,000

Average base salary in ASCE's 2025 Civil Engineering Salary Report.

ASCE · 2025 ↗

PE license premium

~$40,000

Annual pay premium associated with a Professional Engineer license in ASCE's survey.

ASCE · 2025 ↗

Job satisfaction

86.2%

Respondents satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs.

ASCE · 2025 ↗

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

The tradeoff that matters most

Civil engineering's current story is stronger than a generic growth number. ASCE reports rising compensation, a large PE-license premium, and high job satisfaction. The tradeoff is that professional progression and licensure materially affect the economics.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Is civil engineering a good career?

Consider this field if its core work interests you: 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.... Try an introductory project, class, or permitted observation before committing to training. Compare the actual cost and required experience with entry-level work available where you plan to live.

Civil engineering salary

The national median annual wage in May 2025 was $100,840. This is a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.

Is a PE license worth it?

Its value depends on the work you want and the employer's requirements. Compare target postings for the authority, advancement, and duties associated with licensure, then check your state board's route. A survey pay difference cannot isolate the effect of a license from differences in experience and responsibility.

Civil vs mechanical engineering

Consider Civil Engineer if you want to 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.... Consider Mechanical Engineer if you would rather perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Compare a sample task and the qualification requirements for each before choosing between them.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Architect, Agricultural Engineers.