Civil Engineers salary in Fayetteville, AR
Median pay for civil engineers in Fayetteville, AR: $79,180/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $58,050 – $128,500 · about 410 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($88,630) by −$9,450 (-11%).
What it's really worth in Fayetteville
With Fayetteville's cost of living at 91 (US=100), that $79,180 has the buying power of about $86,583 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $73,316 · median home $368,497 · median rent $1,594/mo.
How Fayetteville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Fayetteville, AR is 161st of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Fayetteville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 142nd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Fayetteville is one of the places where civil engineers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Fayetteville
A median home in Fayetteville, AR costs $368,497 — about 4.7× 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 $1,594/mo works out at 24% 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 Fayetteville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fayetteville | Rent vs Fayetteville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +59% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +55% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +51% | 2.3× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +39% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in AR
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fayetteville | Rent vs Fayetteville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith, AR | $81,270 | +3% | 0.6× |
| Little Rock, AR | $76,810 | −3% | 0.8× |
Staying in AR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Fayetteville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Tyson Foods · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Fayetteville
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.