Civil Engineers salary in Seattle, WA

Median pay for civil engineers in Seattle, WA: $101,220/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $77,070 – $138,020 · about 7,750 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$12,590 (+14%).

What it's really worth in Seattle

With Seattle's cost of living at 113 (US=100), that $101,220 has the buying power of about $89,789 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $107,206 · median home $750,279 · median rent $2,232/mo.

Full Seattle cost of living & taxes →

How Seattle ranks for this job

On raw pay, Seattle, WA is 22nd of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Seattle's cost of living is applied, it ranks 110th.

The headline number flatters Seattle. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, civil engineers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Seattle

A median home in Seattle, WA costs $750,279 — about 7.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,232/mo works out at 26% 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 Seattle.

Metro	Median pay	vs Seattle	Rent vs Seattle
Sacramento, CA	$125,760	+24%	1×
San Francisco, CA	$122,670	+21%	1.5×
San Jose, CA	$119,430	+18%	1.6×
Baton Rouge, LA	$110,110	+9%	0.6×

Same job elsewhere in WA

Metro	Median pay	vs Seattle	Rent vs Seattle
Kennewick, WA	$101,690	+0%	0.8×
Bremerton, WA	$101,460	+0%	0.9×
Olympia, WA	$95,470	−6%	0.9×
Yakima, WA	$88,630	−12%	0.6×

Staying in WA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Seattle