Civil Engineers Salary in Austin, TX (2024)
Civil Engineers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area earn a median of $97,850 per year ($47.04 per hour) based on 5,490 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -1.7% 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 Austin, TX, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30.58 | $63,600 | |
| 25th percentile | $37.00 | $76,970 | |
| Median | $47.04 | $97,850 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $61.38 | $127,670 | |
| 90th percentile | $77.43 | $161,050 | |
| Average (mean) | $50.12 | $104,250 |
How Austin, TX compares
The local median of $97,850 runs -1.7% below the US median of $99,590 for this occupation; it pays 86.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($52,610); within the metro it ranks 100th of 600 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX — this occupation | $97,850 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $99,590 | -1.7% |
| Austin, TX — all occupations | $52,610 | +86.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $126,560 | -22.7% |
At a location quotient of 1.89, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 189% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.3%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 100th of 600 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Austin, TX
To put $97,850 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 100th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $213,470 | 150 |
| Pediatricians, General | $204,260 | — |
| Petroleum Engineers | $184,250 | 260 |
| Dentists, General | $181,760 | 790 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $175,940 | 2,150 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $173,300 | 10,650 |
| Financial Managers | $168,100 | 6,910 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $162,440 | 120 |
| Marketing Managers | $162,150 | 6,310 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $153,990 | 690 |
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 Austin, TX?
The median annual wage is $97,850, or $47 per hour. That means half of the civil engineers working in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $104,250.
What do the highest and lowest paid civil engineers in Austin, TX earn?
The bottom 10% earn $63,600 or less, while the top 10% earn $161,050 or more — a spread of $97,450 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $76,970 and $127,670.
Is civil engineers pay in Austin, TX above the local average?
Yes, it is 86.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $52,610. 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 Austin, TX pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $97,850 the metro median is 1.7% 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 Austin, TX?
BLS counts about 5,490 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.36 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.89, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 189% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 4.4%). 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.