Columbia, SC · CBSA 17900
Civil Engineer Salary in Columbia
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for civil engineers in Columbia, SC, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against South Carolina and the national benchmark.
Civil Engineers in Columbia earn a median of $96,070 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $75,780–$126,670; the top 10% earn $151,990. That is 4% below the national median and 4% below the South Carolina median. BLS reports 1,340 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$96,070
-4% vs national
Top 10% earn
$151,990
90th percentile
Employed in metro
1,340
Reliability Good (5.4% RSE)
Civil Engineer pay — Columbia vs South Carolina vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $64,340 | -2% |
| 25th percentile | $75,780 | -4% |
| Median50th percentile | $96,070 | -4% |
| 75th percentile | $126,670 | -1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $151,990 | -6% |
| Meanaverage | $101,090 | -6% |
How concentrated civil engineers are in Columbia
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
1.51
Jobs per 1,000
3.48
Metro rank (pay)
#169 of 373
All engineering roles
$100,071
At a location quotient of 1.51, Columbia is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.5× 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), Columbia, SC (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →