Civil Engineers
Also called: Civil Engineer, Design Engineer, Project Engineer, Structural EngineerPerform 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, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 10 of its 16 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Civil engineers”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 59% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $99,010 | $77,750 to $128,900 | 5,370 |
| Alaska | $114,730 | $94,960 to $134,280 | 1,670 |
| Arizona | $89,660 | $76,340 to $109,930 | 5,940 |
| Arkansas | $85,020 | $64,500 to $105,090 | 1,870 |
| California | $122,500 | $96,590 to $149,350 | 55,180 |
| Colorado | $101,420 | $82,830 to $132,200 | 13,290 |
| Connecticut | $103,150 | $83,390 to $130,150 | 4,370 |
| Delaware | $100,220 | $81,470 to $126,810 | 920 |
| District of Columbia | $103,880 | $82,120 to $130,720 | 1,650 |
| Florida | $98,570 | $76,740 to $128,450 | 23,750 |
| Georgia | $84,240 | $75,090 to $114,380 | 9,400 |
| Guam | $67,410 | $56,500 to $79,510 | 640 |
| Hawaii | $94,280 | $77,720 to $113,550 | 2,640 |
| Idaho | $98,030 | $78,990 to $113,160 | 2,630 |
| Illinois | $99,760 | $79,650 to $125,990 | 13,910 |
| Indiana | $98,270 | $77,510 to $121,550 | 4,030 |
| Iowa | $96,430 | $76,760 to $120,230 | 2,500 |
| Kansas | $96,880 | $77,170 to $125,990 | 2,880 |
| Kentucky | $100,930 | $78,960 to $122,930 | 2,690 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | $78,770 to $127,940 | 3,780 |
| Maine | $97,820 | $80,410 to $113,330 | 1,240 |
| Maryland | $100,680 | $81,640 to $126,620 | 5,240 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | $84,570 to $134,810 | 9,450 |
| Michigan | $92,100 | $75,470 to $109,870 | 7,760 |
| Minnesota | $101,480 | $80,500 to $129,670 | 4,710 |
| Mississippi | $100,170 | $75,730 to $124,240 | 1,770 |
| Missouri | $92,750 | $77,410 to $114,990 | 5,760 |
| Montana | $93,070 | $76,770 to $105,980 | 1,870 |
| Nebraska | $103,150 | $80,410 to $125,930 | 2,360 |
| Nevada | $104,310 | $83,530 to $148,150 | 3,560 |
| New Hampshire | $98,710 | $76,960 to $118,980 | 1,620 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | $82,270 to $134,270 | 6,900 |
| New Mexico | $103,900 | $79,570 to $129,310 | 1,350 |
| New York | $103,760 | $84,740 to $135,920 | 17,500 |
| North Carolina | $100,730 | $79,140 to $125,730 | 12,810 |
| North Dakota | $98,190 | $76,950 to $117,060 | 1,380 |
| Ohio | $96,220 | $77,820 to $124,930 | 10,560 |
| Oklahoma | $98,760 | $79,170 to $127,590 | 2,180 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | $82,580 to $135,870 | 4,890 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,850 | $77,920 to $122,320 | 15,870 |
| Puerto Rico | $61,060 | $47,470 to $76,950 | 1,750 |
| Rhode Island | $99,300 | $79,040 to $150,160 | 1,270 |
| South Carolina | $101,600 | $80,360 to $131,550 | 7,180 |
| South Dakota | $98,700 | $80,560 to $115,180 | 1,440 |
| Tennessee | $95,910 | $76,900 to $123,160 | 5,790 |
| Texas | $96,860 | $77,200 to $127,340 | 34,870 |
| Utah | $96,830 | $78,510 to $123,240 | 5,670 |
| Vermont | $95,600 | $78,870 to $104,770 | 770 |
| Virginia | $97,120 | $79,150 to $126,780 | 11,350 |
| Washington | $110,000 | $96,230 to $133,050 | 12,590 |
| West Virginia | $86,930 | $62,070 to $112,400 | 1,300 |
| Wisconsin | $94,600 | $75,920 to $111,400 | 7,410 |
| Wyoming | $90,590 | $77,610 to $106,220 | 990 |
Nationally: $100,840. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 10 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards. | Not published |
| AI + software | Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site. | Not published |
| Not much | Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #14 Create visual designs or displays
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop operational or technical procedures or standards | |||
| Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations |
Show all 17 activities
| Estimate project development or operational costs | |||
| Assess characteristics of land or property | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Design structures or facilities | |||
| Coordinate regulatory compliance activities | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer21%
- A document or report19%
- A plan or strategy14%
- Advice or a recommendation11%
- A chart or visualization7%
How they worked with Claude
73% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for civil engineers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 54,128 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 11%
- 2 Architectural and Engineering Managers High +5.5% 8%
- 3 Engineers, All Other Very high +3.7% 5%
- 4 Construction Managers High +9.1% 4%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 59,980 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 12%
- 2 Architectural and Engineering Managers High +5.5% 5%
- 3 Engineers, All Other Very high +3.7% 4%
- 4 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Construction Managers High +9.1% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 86% bachelor's
- 5% post-bachelor's certificate
- 10% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 5% some college
- 3% associate's
- 60% bachelor's
- 24% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 5,485 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
7 programs, such as Civil Engineering, General, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and Structural Engineering.
See all
- Civil Engineering, General
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Transportation and Highway Engineering
- Water Resources Engineering
- Civil Engineering, Other
- Construction Engineering
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
78.9% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 46.6% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 11.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/17-2051.00