The median annual wage of civil engineers was $77,560 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half of the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $50,560, and the top 10 percent earned more than $119,320.
Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of civil engineers in May 2010 were as follows:
| Federal government | $89,450 |
| Local government | 80,250 |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 76,620 |
| Nonresidential building construction | 76,120 |
| State government | 74,300 |
Nearly all civil engineers work full time. However, many civil engineers work on projects that are under contractual deadlines. Engineers overseeing these projects often work longer hours to make sure that deadlines are met.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition