Average Salary

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average yearly salary of city engineers in 2009 was $81,180. The annual wages ranged from $49,620 to $118,320, or $23.86 to $56.88 per hour.
  
  

Salary by Largest Employers

• Civil engineers in 2009 were mostly employed in companies offering architectural and engineering services, according to the bureau. The average annual salaries there were $82,040. State and local governments also employed large numbers of these professionals and paid average salaries ranging from $75,870 to $80,190 a year. Companies involved in construction of nonresidential buildings paid an average of $79,410. The U.S. government was the fifth largest employer of civil engineers but paid the highest salary out of all five: $88,040 a year.
  
  

Salary by Highest-Paying Employers

• Civil engineers involved in oil and gas extraction were the highest-paid ones in 2009, according to the bureau, with an average annual salary of $107,430. Those working in oil or petroleum pipeline construction were paid about $107,100 a year. Engineers employed by heavy construction companies had average salaries of $101,330. Civil engineers specializing in construction of gas pipelines received average annual wages of $96,690, while those working for electronics wholesalers were paid $93,650 a year on average.
  
  

Salary by Location

• The District of Columbia in 2009, according to the bureau, paid an average salary of $93,790, higher than in any of the 50 states. Civil engineers in California had annual salaries of $91,910 a year. Two cities in California, San Jose and Riverside, paid even more, $104,110 and $99,650 per year, respectively. Two cities in Texas, Houston and Midland, also had some of the highest average salaries, $102,990 and $99,810 a year, respectively, which exceeded the state's average salary for civil engineers of $87,950. Louisiana had one of the highest salaries among the states -- $86,790 a year on average -- with Baton Rouge paying $99,430.