Civil Engineers salary in Austin, TX
Median pay for civil engineers in Austin, TX: $93,370/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $61,630 – $138,990 · about 4,700 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$4,740 (+5%).
What it's really worth in Austin
With Austin's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $93,370 has the buying power of about $95,008 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $92,939 · median home $428,524 · median rent $1,635/mo.
How Austin ranks for this job
On raw pay, Austin, TX is 71st of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Austin's cost of living is applied, it ranks 62nd.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Austin sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Austin
A median home in Austin, TX costs $428,524 — about 4.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,635/mo works out at 21% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where civil engineers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Austin.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Austin | Rent vs Austin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +35% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +31% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +28% | 2.2× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +18% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Austin | Rent vs Austin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $92,240 | −1% | 1× |
| Houston, TX | $87,330 | −6% | 1× |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $86,960 | −7% | 0.9× |
| Killeen, TX | $81,250 | −13% | 0.8× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Austin
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- State of Texas · Government
Other jobs in Austin
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.