BLS OEWS, May 2025

Civil engineer salary in Philadelphia, PA

What civil engineers are paid in Philadelphia, PA, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$99,410

Middle half earn

$81,430 to $127,410

People in this job here

6,160

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Civil Engineers, Philadelphia, PA, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$75,830
25th percentile
$81,430
Median
$99,410
75th percentile
$127,410
90th percentile
$147,960

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2051. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How Philadelphia, PA compares

  • The median here is 1% below the national median of $100,840.
  • Philadelphia, PA ranks 28th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 6,160 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 470 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

Philadelphia, PA against the national figures
PercentilePhiladelphia, PANational
10th percentile$75,830$68,240
25th percentile$81,430$79,930
Median$99,410$100,840
75th percentile$127,410$129,680
90th percentile$147,960$163,220

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2051. National page for civil engineers

By metro

Other metros for civil engineers

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a civil engineer

The skills our civil engineer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Structural analysis
  • Site grading and drainage
  • Stormwater management
  • Construction documents
  • Specifications writing
  • Cost estimating
  • Geotechnical coordination
  • Permitting
  • ADA compliance

See the full civil engineer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $81,430 puts you in the bottom quarter for civil engineers in Philadelphia, PA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $99,410, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $127,410 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Civil Engineers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about civil engineer pay in Philadelphia, PA

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