What You Need to Know About Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer Job Description 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, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
Civil Engineer Responsibilities
- Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
- Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
- Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
- Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects.
- Direct engineering activities ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
- Analyze manufacturing processes or byproducts to identify engineering solutions to minimize the output of carbon or other pollutants.
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Civil Engineer Needed Skills
Civil Engineers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Types of Civil Engineer
- Civil Engineering Project Manager
- Sanitary Engineer
- Street Engineer
- Forest Engineer
- Water Systems Designer
Are There Job Opportunities for Civil Engineers?
In the United States, there were 303,500 jobs for Civil Engineer in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 32,200 new jobs for Civil Engineer by 2026. The BLS estimates 25,900 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Civil Engineer are Utah, Tennessee, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Mississippi, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Civil Engineer Make?
Civil Engineers make between $54,780 and $142,560 a year.

Civil Engineers who work in Alaska, California, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
How much do Civil Engineers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $84,320 |
Alaska | $125,470 |
Arizona | $84,770 |
Arkansas | $81,780 |
California | $109,680 |
Colorado | $93,560 |
Connecticut | $93,630 |
Delaware | $91,410 |
District of Columbia | $99,820 |
Florida | $89,480 |
Georgia | $81,110 |
Hawaii | $86,680 |
Idaho | $78,280 |
Illinois | $94,570 |
Indiana | $82,420 |
Iowa | $83,940 |
Kansas | $82,340 |
Kentucky | $82,840 |
Louisiana | $98,700 |
Maine | $82,160 |
Maryland | $86,110 |
Massachusetts | $94,210 |
Michigan | $82,240 |
Minnesota | $90,760 |
Mississippi | $85,880 |
Missouri | $86,710 |
Montana | $77,480 |
Nebraska | $84,240 |
Nevada | $100,700 |
New Hampshire | $83,970 |
New Jersey | $103,760 |
New Mexico | $88,840 |
New York | $102,250 |
North Carolina | $86,270 |
North Dakota | $83,460 |
Ohio | $82,180 |
Oklahoma | $91,090 |
Oregon | $88,270 |
Pennsylvania | $88,740 |
Rhode Island | $87,220 |
South Carolina | $84,660 |
South Dakota | $77,030 |
Tennessee | $93,810 |
Texas | $102,990 |
Utah | $80,690 |
Vermont | $74,960 |
Virginia | $94,780 |
Washington | $93,120 |
West Virginia | $82,210 |
Wisconsin | $78,660 |
Wyoming | $85,220 |
What Tools & Technology do Civil Engineers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Civil Engineers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- Email software
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Spreadsheet software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Extensible markup language XML
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Minitab
Becoming a Civil Engineer
What kind of Civil Engineer requirements are there?

What work experience do I need to become a Civil Engineer?

Who Employs Civil Engineers?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Civil Engineer sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Master Sgt. Roger Parsons via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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