SOC 17-2051 · Architecture and engineering
Civil Engineers prevailing wage by area
At Level II this ranges from $115,336 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA down to $75,067 in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, a spread of $40,269 on the same job.
What this occupation covers
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.
Occupation definition from oes_soc_occs.csv, OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip.
Every area with a surveyed figure
| Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $94,536 | $115,336 | $136,157 | $156,957 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90,376 | $114,026 | $137,675 | $161,325 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $87,194 | $108,306 | $129,438 | $150,550 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $90,230 | $105,789 | $121,368 | $136,926 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $82,014 | $102,086 | $122,138 | $142,210 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $82,285 | $100,402 | $118,518 | $136,635 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $80,600 | $99,445 | $118,269 | $137,114 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77,979 | $98,946 | $119,912 | $140,878 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $79,560 | $98,114 | $116,646 | $135,200 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $79,747 | $96,034 | $112,320 | $128,606 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78,083 | $94,432 | $110,781 | $127,130 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $77,147 | $92,061 | $106,995 | $121,909 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $71,386 | $91,291 | $111,176 | $131,082 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $75,837 | $91,104 | $106,371 | $121,638 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $73,944 | $90,750 | $107,536 | $124,342 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $73,923 | $90,730 | $107,515 | $124,322 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $75,670 | $90,667 | $105,664 | $120,661 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $73,424 | $89,898 | $106,371 | $122,845 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $71,552 | $88,858 | $106,163 | $123,469 |
| Rochester, NY | $72,405 | $88,691 | $104,957 | $121,243 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $73,341 | $88,670 | $103,979 | $119,309 |
| Columbus, OH | $70,824 | $88,650 | $106,496 | $124,322 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $70,491 | $88,421 | $106,330 | $124,259 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $69,555 | $88,234 | $106,912 | $125,590 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $71,261 | $88,046 | $104,811 | $121,597 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $72,904 | $87,568 | $102,253 | $116,917 |
| Richmond, VA | $73,674 | $86,549 | $99,403 | $112,278 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $70,512 | $86,528 | $102,565 | $118,581 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $69,014 | $86,070 | $103,126 | $120,182 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $70,554 | $85,426 | $100,318 | $115,190 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $71,947 | $85,426 | $98,925 | $112,403 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $69,493 | $85,051 | $100,589 | $116,147 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $67,517 | $84,718 | $101,899 | $119,101 |
| Cleveland, OH | $68,890 | $83,762 | $98,613 | $113,485 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $67,205 | $83,678 | $100,131 | $116,605 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $67,850 | $82,763 | $97,698 | $112,611 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $68,349 | $81,432 | $94,515 | $107,598 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $66,352 | $81,182 | $96,034 | $110,864 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $55,973 | $77,605 | $99,237 | $120,869 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $58,490 | $75,067 | $91,666 | $108,243 |
40 areas, all surveyed for that metropolitan area rather than imputed from a broader geography. 3 of them carry a full breakdown page, selected by filing volume; the rest show their figures here. ALC_Export.csv, wage year 2026-27.
How employers filed for this occupation
Across 882 certified H-1B filings in FY2025 Q1 to Q4 that recorded a level, the plurality landed on Level II. The median wage actually offered was $100,000 a year, from 945 filings.
| Level | Filings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | 257 | 29.1% |
| Level II | 315 | 35.7% |
| Level III | 195 | 22.1% |
| Level IV | 115 | 13.0% |
LCA disclosure data, FY2025 Q1 to Q4. Certified H-1B filings only.
Work out a specific determination
The level depends on the requirements in the job description rather than the title. Run the worksheet for Civil Engineers with a specific area, experience requirement and education level.