Civil Engineers Salary in Atlanta, GA (2024)
Civil Engineers in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area earn a median of $82,110 per year ($39.47 per hour) based on 6,170 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -17.6% against the national median of $99,590 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where civil engineers actually sit across the pay range in Atlanta, GA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31.33 | $65,170 | |
| 25th percentile | $36.75 | $76,450 | |
| Median | $39.47 | $82,110 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $52.78 | $109,790 | |
| 90th percentile | $75.27 | $156,570 | |
| Average (mean) | $47.38 | $98,540 |
How Atlanta, GA compares
The local median of $82,110 runs -17.6% below the US median of $99,590 for this occupation; it pays 65.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($49,770); within the metro it ranks 146th of 678 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA — this occupation | $82,110 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $99,590 | -17.6% |
| Atlanta, GA — all occupations | $49,770 | +65.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $126,560 | -35.1% |
The location quotient of 0.93 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 2.9%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 146th of 678 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Atlanta, GA
To put $82,110 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 146th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $217,720 | 510 |
| Dentists, General | $214,490 | 1,900 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $211,370 | 30 |
| Anesthesiologists | $206,890 | — |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $182,310 | 820 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,360 | 13,500 |
| Financial Managers | $168,990 | 16,620 |
| Marketing Managers | $164,650 | 7,080 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $164,010 | 2,650 |
| Pediatricians, General | $162,290 | — |
Where civil engineers earn the most
Across the 24 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $82,110 to $126,560. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $126,560 | 9,920 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $109,250 | 3,620 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $107,930 | 7,250 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $106,350 | 6,390 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $106,130 | 14,570 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $105,290 | 16,390 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $104,750 | 8,300 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $104,360 | 3,520 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $103,830 | 2,680 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $102,190 | 3,140 |
See the full national picture on the Civil Engineers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for civil engineers in Atlanta, GA?
The median annual wage is $82,110, or $39 per hour. That means half of the civil engineers working in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $98,540.
What do the highest and lowest paid civil engineers in Atlanta, GA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $65,170 or less, while the top 10% earn $156,570 or more — a spread of $91,400 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $76,450 and $109,790.
Is civil engineers pay in Atlanta, GA above the local average?
Yes, it is 65.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $49,770. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Atlanta, GA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $82,110 the metro median is 17.6% lower than the US median of $99,590 for civil engineers. Across the 24 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $82,110 to $126,560.
How many civil engineers work in Atlanta, GA?
BLS counts about 6,170 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.15 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.93 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 17.4%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.