Talent Maps / Houston / Structural Engineers

Houston Structural Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What structural engineers earn in Houston, how Texas licenses them, which building, bridge and industrial firms employ them and the medical, airport and convention center projects competing for them.

Hiring structural engineers in Houston?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers structural engineers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts structural engineers as civil engineers, so we pair its May 2025 wage data with real pay ranges from Houston job postings in 2026. Our civil and structural engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Houston civil, architect and CAD designer talent maps.

$100,950Median pay for civil engineers, the BLS group that includes structural engineers, in HoustonBLS, May 2025

$130,990The 75th percentile, where licensed structural engineers usually sitBLS, May 2025

1931The year Walter P Moore was founded in HoustonWalter P Moore

$4BConstruction underway at the Texas Medical CenterTexas Medical Center

$2BGeorge R. Brown Convention Center transformationGreater Houston Partnership

$2.5BHarris Health bond for a new LBJ hospital and Ben Taub expansionHarris Health

Structural engineer salaries in Houston

BLS does not publish a separate figure for structural engineers. The civil engineer figures below include them, but structural engineers with a PE and building, bridge or industrial experience usually earn at or above the 75th percentile ($130,990).

Annual pay percentile	Houston metro	Texas	United States
10th percentile	$67,250	$63,240	$68,240
25th percentile	$80,010	$77,200	$79,930
Median	$100,950	$96,860	$100,840
75th percentile	$130,990	$127,340	$129,680
90th percentile	$168,240	$164,330	$163,220

Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051), which includes structural engineers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

What Houston structural jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Experience	Posted base pay
Structural engineer, residential (unnamed Houston firm)	EIT	$70,000 to $90,000
Structural engineer, residential (unnamed Houston firm)	PE	$90,000 to $121,000
Leidos, Substation Senior Structural Engineer	5+ years	$73,450 to $132,775
Arup, Senior Bridge Engineer, Houston	6+ years	$120,000 to $140,000
Tetra Tech, Structural Engineer, Subject Matter Expert (power)	20+ years	$145,000 to $195,000

Postings live in September 2026. The Leidos and Tetra Tech roles are open to more than one location. Most Houston postings do not list pay, because Texas does not require it.

How Texas licenses structural engineers

Texas does not license engineers by discipline and has no separate structural engineering (SE) license. Structural work is sealed under a Texas PE license from the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which accepts NCEES exam results, including the 16-hour structural exam. Candidates must also pass the Texas Ethics exam.

Where Houston’s structural engineers work

Building and bridge firms

Walter P Moore was founded in Houston in 1931 and now has more than 1,250 people. It did the structural work on TMC3 in the Texas Medical Center. Thornton Tomasetti has a Houston office on Gessner Road.

Houston structural practices include Ensight Haynes Whaley, Pinnacle Structural Engineers and Matrix Structural Engineers. The original Haynes Whaley, founded in Houston in 1976, is now part of IMEG.

Industrial and offshore

Houston’s energy industry hires structural engineers for plants, pipe racks, modules and offshore platforms. KBR is headquartered in Houston, and McDermott reported $15.8 billion of backlog in mid-2026.

Worley runs a Houston office and a Gulf Coast modular fabrication hub in the metro.

Multi-discipline engineering firms

Houston firms such as LAN, LJA and CobbFendley, and national firms with large Houston offices, hire structural engineers for bridges, drainage structures and public buildings. See our Houston civil engineer talent map.

Power and utilities

Substation and transmission structures are a growing niche as CenterPoint expands the grid. See our Houston electrical engineer talent map.

What’s driving demand for structural engineers in Houston

The Texas Medical Center. The TMC reports $4 billion of construction underway, including Helix Park, and MD Anderson has new Houston facilities scheduled to open between 2026 and 2031.
Public hospitals. Harris Health’s $2.5 billion bond funds a new LBJ hospital, opening in 2029, and a roughly $410 million expansion of Ben Taub.
George R. Brown Convention Center. The $2 billion transformation adds GRB Houston South, a 700,000 square foot building opening in May 2028.
IAH. United’s $2.5 billion Terminal B and the airport’s terminal redevelopment program are reshaping Bush Intercontinental.
LNG and petrochemicals. Golden Pass LNG, east of the metro, produced its first LNG in March 2026, and Gulf Coast plants keep Houston’s industrial structural teams busy.

The talent pipeline

Rice University. Rice’s ABET-accredited civil engineering degree includes a structural specialization.
University of Houston. UH’s accredited civil engineering program awarded 97 degrees in 2024-25.
Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, Texas A&M and Lamar also feed Houston’s structural firms.

What this means if you’re hiring

Buildings and industrial are different markets. A strong high-rise engineer and a strong pipe rack engineer rarely swap. Be specific about the project type.
Price licensed engineers above the civil median. Plan on the 75th percentile ($130,990) or more.
Post your pay range. Most Houston structural postings don’t, so the ones that do stand out.
Build from EITs. Rice and UH graduates are the fastest route to growing your own team.

Need structural engineers in Houston?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place structural, civil and bridge engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 832.519.1704 or see our Houston engineering recruiters page.

Hire structural engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do structural engineers make in Houston?

BLS groups structural engineers with civil engineers, whose Houston median is $100,950. Posted Houston structural roles in 2026 ranged from $70,000 for EITs to $140,000 for a senior bridge engineer, and higher for senior specialists.

Does Texas have an SE license?

No. Texas does not license by discipline. Structural engineers are licensed as PEs, and the state accepts NCEES exam results, including the structural exam.

Which structural engineering firms are in Houston?

They include Walter P Moore, Thornton Tomasetti, Ensight Haynes Whaley, Pinnacle Structural Engineers, Matrix Structural Engineers and IMEG, plus industrial firms such as KBR, McDermott and Worley.

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