Civil Engineer vs Electrical Engineer: $101K vs $121K Median Pay

Civil Engineer vs Electrical Engineer: what changes?

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…. Consider Electrical Engineer if you would rather research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Civil Engineer and Electrical Engineer. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Civil Engineer

National median pay (2025): $100,840
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 22,700

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Civil Engineer brief

Electrical Engineer

National median pay (2025): $120,630
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,400

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Electrical Engineer brief

How the national numbers differ

Civil Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Civil Engineer is at 22,700 annual openings, compared with 11,400 annual openings for Electrical Engineer.

Electrical Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Electrical Engineer is at 9.9% projected growth, compared with 6.4% projected growth for Civil Engineer.

Electrical Engineer has the edge on median pay

Electrical Engineer is at $120,630, compared with $100,840 for Civil Engineer.

73.3/ 100

Civil Engineer

74/ 100

Electrical Engineer

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

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