Civil Engineers salary in Huntsville, AL
Median pay for civil engineers in Huntsville, AL: $97,700/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $62,180 – $140,510 · about 1,120 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$9,070 (+10%).
What it's really worth in Huntsville
With Huntsville's cost of living at 94 (US=100), that $97,700 has the buying power of about $104,148 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,521 · median home $316,645 · median rent $1,385/mo.
How Huntsville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Huntsville, AL is 43rd of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Huntsville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 23rd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Huntsville 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 Huntsville
A median home in Huntsville, AL costs $316,645 — about 3.2× 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 $1,385/mo works out at 17% 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 Huntsville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Huntsville | Rent vs Huntsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +29% | 1.6× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +26% | 2.4× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +22% | 2.6× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +13% | 1× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Huntsville | Rent vs Huntsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | $97,280 | +0% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $93,910 | −4% | 1× |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $89,460 | −8% | 1.1× |
| Birmingham, AL | $84,650 | −13% | 1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Huntsville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- U.S. Army/Redstone Arsenal · Government
- Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA · Manufacturing
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center · Government
Other jobs in Huntsville
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.