San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · CBSA 41740
Civil Engineer Salary in San Diego
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for civil engineers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Civil Engineers in San Diego earn a median of $106,350 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $89,140–$131,320; the top 10% earn $164,060. That is 7% above the national median and 10% below the California median. BLS reports 6,390 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$106,350
+7% vs national
Top 10% earn
$164,060
90th percentile
Employed in metro
6,390
Reliability Good (6.6% RSE)
Civil Engineer pay — San Diego vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $78,000 | +18% |
| 25th percentile | $89,140 | +13% |
| Median50th percentile | $106,350 | +7% |
| 75th percentile | $131,320 | +2% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $164,060 | +2% |
| Meanaverage | $116,680 | +9% |
How concentrated civil engineers are in San Diego
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.81
Jobs per 1,000
4.17
Metro rank (pay)
#29 of 373
All engineering roles
$139,762
At a location quotient of 1.81, San Diego is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.8× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2051 (Civil Engineers), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →