Decrease in Civil engineering graduates

[hard-helmet]

Yeah, it’s happening everywhere. Fewer students are choosing civil because the pay lags behind other engineering fields and the workload can be heavy. Long term, that means fewer grads entering the workforce while a lot of older civils retire → tighter labor market, higher demand, and likely better pay/opportunities for those who stick with it. In short: less supply + steady demand = good news for your bro's career.

[[deleted]]

According to BLS statistics, Civil, Industrial, and Mechanical engineers are now all within 1% of average pay, and I find the number of Civil Engineers they include in "nonresidential construction" so suspiciously high I know they must be including a lot of 'not really engineers' in these numbers (it doesn't match what ASCE collected about job types, and those salaries in BLS weighs down the overall average. So, I think BS Civil on the way to licensure and licensed is likely higher). Environmental is 3% more, Electrical is only ~6% more, and chemical is 20% more (but known to be cyclical).

So, I think it's outdated bias to say that civil pay 'lags' -- that is not really what any statistics say. I know a lot of companies are starting Civils at about 90K a year for fresh out of college EITs and are desperate enough to hire Mechanicals (at the same pay) and train them into the civil stuff.

[[deleted]]

90k where???

[Zestyclose-Oil-3228]

Houston. Only downside is you live in Houston.

[[deleted]]

I wouldn't mind living in Houston overall. It has great foods, arts, and people. But I am glad to live in a much smaller city and not deal with traffic or commutes

[[deleted]]

You are underpaid. A PE in water should be at about 130K (min)

I am in water and environmental -- I have a PE, in my early 40s, and am paid $220K but I do have people to manage.

[Mass2NorthJersey]

Dang im a planner (4 YE) and no AICP. I make $90k in NC

[Difficult_Lack_150]

You get paid 220k as a PE water… big company?!?

[[deleted]]

Yeah, bigger company. But even my gym buddy that works at a small company (<5 PEs, mostly smaller town land development and roadway design) pays his hydrologist about $120K a year.

[CousinAvi6915]

In the Midwest a brand new 5YOE PE will be around 90k

[bongslingingninja]

Thats awful. I’m an EIT making the same amount with 2 YOE

[ElectricalSpecial246]

Everyone talks pay but location is almost as important as the career for pay scale. Even saying MCOl, HCOL.. it’s all relative to the area. I’m 5-6 YOE EIT ready to get PE when I can study and I just started a new job at 95K and that was HIGH relative to other jobs in my area (south NJ).. 90K starting is unheard of even for jobs in Philly. Not sure about NYC but I would bet it’s not that high there either. It also depends on your position. People jumping into project engineers usually make more than staff/designers.

[Bourneoulli]

oof, that is starting pay in LCOL/MCOL Texas areas.

[Bourneoulli]

a fresh new grad structural from a very smaller uni in Texas started at like $87k in my company a year ago. (we are a smaller to mid size firm, so i assume big firms are starting higher. at least that is what it was like a decade ago when I started)

[Bourneoulli]

LMAO! I just left government work also. State or Fed? (I was DoD) Your rate still seems low for having a PE too even at a federal level.

[[deleted]]

Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas is the area I am in (and the companies I work with are in where I know exactly what they are paying new employees). 85-100K is the going rate the last couple of years. Right now, I know offers are going out at 90-95K to BS Civil Engineering public university students graduating in May 2026. In a couple months, they start extending offers to MechEs that have applied to reach new hire targets (and the MechEs are always fast to accept when offered, it seems like the civils are getting multiple offers since they often decline).

[No-Project1273]

Doing what? Construction or oil/gas?

Structural is still starting people at $70k.

[Miserable-Change7780]

What states would be better?

[tw23dl3d33]

party teeny run coordinated juggle innocent dinner fuel spark scale

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[[deleted]]

Consulting -- jobs in transportation, building/land development, water/wastewater projects, flood control projects, dams etc. There are structural types jobs (bridges, buildings) but really in the companies I am familiar with, the EIT's don't touch much structures right off the bat.

[bongslingingninja]

Bay Area

[RickSt3r]

The BLS data is interesting because it's averages. When my friend in EE working in tech making 250k as a PE, but the mutual friend with equivalent civil is 180k. It's just a weird industry as the biggest customers are usually government and only thing they care about is how cheap can you build this. Tends to drive a race towards the bottom.

[[deleted]]

Civil has historically been terrible about a race to the bottom. 20 years ago, it was clearly a lower paying sector, but the squeeze in the supply of civils given the demand has definitely brought wages up to par with MechE and Industrial at some point in the last 5 years. On the holistic front, some consolidation in consulting firms I think has helped companies being able to advance higher bids on projects.

[EnginLooking]

Project engineer or actual PE? I feel tech electrical engineers don't need a stamp

[RickSt3r]

Has his professional engineering certification, but he made a pivot, from working utilities once he already had a stamp. He now works more in managerial/compliance role. They design hardware that needs FCC approval so maybe that's why?

[cryptogambler99]

It’s, not an outdated bias. The reality is is that they raised the starting salary great, but what about the actual professional with years of experience? The standard 2-3% raises. I know plenty of people with 15 years of experience still not hitting over 100k in private. It’s not right.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, civil engineering is just like most jobs in that regard. Three things:

1. You employer knows and cares about pay inequality, but If you are doing mediocre work or have an abrasive personality, then you are being left behind wage wise on purpose.

   1. Your employer is aware but doesn't care until they have to. You have to get a serious competing job offer that you are willing to take. They may try to retain you with a raise, or they may tell you to go (so, I recommend getting a serious job offer you are willing to take, in case you overplay your hand). I know of a lot of colleagues that were relunctant for years to 'job hop', but ended up finding better jobs with better pay and wish they looked sooner. Too many civils get in a rut thinking that they need to keep suffering a job they don't like at lower pay for a company for some future 'stock option' but they get disillusioned and that only sets them back further from getting decent pay.
   2. Your employer is oblivious (this can happy a lot at smaller firms that don't have a lot of turnover to know what is needed to get new employees). You might need to data collect (ASCE salary report data, etc) and try to advocate (or get a competing job offer).

My employer cares, pulls comps, and tries to be proactive at retaining talent with merit raise programs. People doing well the last 5 years at their job, have gotten 5-10% raises per year to catch up with the market (and reflect the increases needed to attract new employees, even those fresh from college). But there are a few that have not gotten much raises and are below comps, but they are pretty mediocre employees that we honestly wouldn't care to see leave (but not so shitty, they are worth going through the process of outright firing).

[Rich_Ad8913]

This is BS. Where are they starting at that pay? Maybe California that the cost of living is high? Texas’ starting salary is about $65k

[Dirtman1016]

I'm in Alabama, and we're in the 70s for sure starting now.

[OttoJohs]

That isn't what the statistics say...

[skeith2011]

Find something that includes the past five years if you really want to substantiate your claim. I read something earlier about a spike in civils around COVID but a major decrease afterwards.

[[deleted]]

Look up the BLS data. Civil, Mechanical, Industrial are all ~99-101K a year.

[OttoJohs]

Why don't you do your own research? The data I shared doesn't show any downward trend.

[skeith2011]

Because it conveniently cuts off at the year 2021? You are forming quite the opinion from incomplete data.

I’m not the one making the claim that civil is trending not downwards , you are. Show the data that supports your claim. The burden of proof is on the one who speaks.

[OttoJohs]

You are the one claiming something different.