Employment: Civil Engineers Should See Largest Increase in Engineering Employment
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "civil engineers are expected to have employment growth of 24 percent (in the decade from 2008 to 2018), much faster than the average for all occupations. Spurred by general population growth and the related need to improve the nation's infrastructure, more civil engineers will be needed to design and construct or expand transportation, water supply, and pollution control systems, and buildings and building complexes. They also will be needed to repair or replace existing roads, bridges, and other public structures. Because construction industries and architectural, engineering, and related services employ many civil engineers, employment opportunities will vary by geographic area and may decrease during economic slowdowns, when construction is often curtailed."
Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm
Salaries: Civil Engineering Salaries Inched Higher in 2010
The median income for full-time salaried civil engineers in 2010 was $86,000 year, which represents an increase from $85,000 in 2009. The median income for all fields of engineering combined was $93,000 a 0.8 percent increase from 2009. The survey, which was held from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010, yielded more than 15,000 responses from engineers across the country in a variety of fields and at all levels of practice.
• Median income consistently increased with engineering experience. The median income for engineers with less than one year of experience was $55,200; the median income for an engineer with more than 25 years of experience was $122,000.
• Median income increased with each additional level of education acquired. Respondents holding a doctoral degree in engineering reported a median income of $110,900; those with only a bachelor's degree in engineering reported a median income of $85,001.
Source: The Engineering Income & Salary Survey, ASCE/ASME
Watch for an update with results from the 2011 survey, coming this summer!