Civil Engineers salary in Greenville, SC
Median pay for civil engineers in Greenville, SC: $96,050/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $59,500 – $164,260 · about 1,170 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$7,420 (+8%).
What it's really worth in Greenville
With Greenville's cost of living at 93 (US=100), that $96,050 has the buying power of about $103,197 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $66,226 · median home $315,285 · median rent $1,544/mo.
How Greenville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Greenville, SC is 54th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Greenville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 27th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Greenville 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 Greenville
A median home in Greenville, SC costs $315,285 — about 3.3× 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 $1,544/mo works out at 19% 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 Greenville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Greenville | Rent vs Greenville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +31% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +28% | 2.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +24% | 2.3× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +15% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in SC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Greenville | Rent vs Greenville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston, SC | $88,990 | −7% | 1.3× |
| Columbia, SC | $81,970 | −15% | 1× |
| Spartanburg, SC | $80,020 | −17% | 1× |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | $69,150 | −28% | 1.1× |
Staying in SC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Greenville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Michelin North America · Manufacturing
- General Electric · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Greenville
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.