PublicPay

Civil Engineering federal salary series 0810

Full-time federal employees in the Civil Engineering series earned a median of $122,345 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 12% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $106,335 and $142,300.

Median pay
$122,345
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$106,335–$142,300
25th–75th percentile
Employees
10,088
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.4%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Civil Engineering
All federal (full-time)

What shapes civil engineering pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (3,359 employees, median $114,698). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Transportation (975 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($167,902) and lowest in North Carolina ($99,080), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 66% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Civil Engineering pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Civil Engineering pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-9 181 $73,823 $71,114–$82,817
GS-11 1,155 $93,146 $82,148–$106,335
GS-12 3,359 $114,698 $104,754–$122,345
GS-13 3,041 $138,024 $129,615–$146,368
GS-14 1,032 $164,758 $157,594–$172,965
GS-15 218 $194,778 $182,467–$197,200
IC-13 58 $125,850 $120,629–$133,964

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Civil Engineering pay by agency

Civil Engineering pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Transportation 975 $129,678 $110,001–$146,143
Department of Agriculture 947 $102,808 $89,508–$117,081
Department of the Interior 909 $124,894 $112,716–$142,452
Department of Energy 253 $148,514 $136,390–$163,615
Department of Homeland Security 149 $129,624 $120,629–$141,135
Department of Commerce 48 $137,262 $124,496–$166,923

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Civil Engineering pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Civil Engineering pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Colorado 518 $132,541 $114,843–$150,324
California 242 $132,178 $115,756–$150,802
Washington 236 $131,594 $115,733–$147,030
Virginia 181 $137,576 $116,071–$158,322
Texas 175 $116,724 $101,611–$134,956
Montana 129 $109,600 $95,475–$120,629
Oregon 125 $116,048 $99,554–$136,698
Idaho 115 $114,038 $97,087–$124,894
Georgia 101 $122,345 $107,007–$142,006
District of Columbia 88 $167,902 $148,069–$186,207

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare civil engineering pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.4% from $119,435 in September 2025 to $122,345 in September 2026. Headcount went from 12,031 to 10,088 (−16.1%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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