Talent Maps / San Antonio / Civil Engineers

San Antonio Civil Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What civil engineers earn in metro San Antonio, which firms and public owners employ them, where in the metro they work, and the highway, airport, transit and water projects competing for them.

Hiring civil engineers in San Antonio?

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 civil engineers in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and population data published from 2024 to 2026. Our civil engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our San Antonio structural, mechanical and electrical engineer talent maps.

$88,290Median civil engineer pay in metro San AntonioBLS, May 2025

$133,900+What the top 10% of San Antonio civil engineers earnBLS, May 2025

38,402People added to metro San Antonio in one year, the ninth most of any US metroCensus Bureau, 2025

$1.5BI-35 NEX Central design-build project, due to finish in late 2027TxDOT

$1.479BLoop 1604 North expansion across six segmentsTxDOT

$607.8MSAWS proposed capital budget for 2026San Antonio Water System

Civil engineer salaries in San Antonio

The median civil engineer in metro San Antonio earns $88,290 a year, $8,570 below the Texas median of $96,860 and $12,550 below the national median of $100,840. The gap widens at the top. San Antonio’s 90th percentile is $133,900, against $164,330 statewide. The hourly median is $42.45.

Annual pay percentile	San Antonio metro	Texas	United States
10th percentile	$64,490	$63,240	$68,240
25th percentile	$73,730	$77,200	$79,930
Median	$88,290	$96,860	$100,840
75th percentile	$113,760	$127,340	$129,680
90th percentile	$133,900	$164,330	$163,220

Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Civil engineering technicians, the drafters, inspectors and field techs who support design teams, earn a median of $63,560 in San Antonio, above the Texas median of $59,390. Pay ranges from $42,810 at the 10th percentile to $87,710 at the 90th.

What the spread means in practice: San Antonio pays less than Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, and the gap is largest for senior engineers. Many firms here also run Austin offices, where the median is $12,180 higher, so experienced engineers often compare offers across the two metros.

Where San Antonio’s civil engineers work

San Antonio-based design firms

Pape-Dawson, founded in 1965, is headquartered on NW Loop 410 and has 44 offices in 10 states, 14 of them in Texas. It bought KSA Engineers, with 170 staff and 11 offices, in October 2024.

Other local firms include Bain Medina Bain, founded in 1959 with about 45 staff including 6 PEs, Unintech Consulting Engineers, founded in 1992, and Moy Tarin Ramirez Engineers.

State and national firms

Kimley-Horn, Halff, Freese and Nichols, HDR and Garver all have San Antonio offices. Freese and Nichols is based in Fort Worth and HDR in Omaha.

Kimley-Horn’s San Antonio office lists roadway, bridge, water and structural services.

Public owners

TxDOT’s San Antonio District covers 12 counties, from Bexar and Comal to Uvalde and McMullen. The San Antonio Water System, VIA and the San Antonio airport also run large capital programs.

Bexar County and the City of San Antonio are both funding the planned Spurs arena.

Geotechnical, testing and construction

Raba Kistner, founded in San Antonio in 1968, does geotechnical engineering, materials testing and inspection.

Hensel Phelps is construction manager on the airport’s new Terminal C.

Where the talent sits: San Antonio submarkets

Downtown

Site civilVenues

The planned $1.3 billion Spurs arena, where Pape-Dawson is the civil, traffic, environmental and survey engineer.

Loop 410 corridor

Design firms

Pape-Dawson’s headquarters is on NW Loop 410, and Halff’s San Antonio office is on NE Loop 410.

Northeast I-35

TransportationBridges

I-35 NEX Central is rebuilding 9.5 miles from I-410 North to FM 3009, with completion now set for late 2027.

North San Antonio and Loop 1604

Transportation

The $1.479 billion Loop 1604 North expansion is being built in six segments, with completions from 2026 to 2029.

New Braunfels and Comal County

Land developmentUtilities

Comal County added 7,680 residents (3.8%) in 2024-25. Pape-Dawson has a New Braunfels office, and M&S Engineering is in Spring Branch.

What’s driving demand for civil engineers in San Antonio

I-35 NEX Central. TxDOT’s $1.5 billion design-build project covers 9.5 miles from I-410 North to FM 3009. It started in June 2022 and is now due to finish in late 2027.
Loop 1604 North. The $1.479 billion expansion runs in six segments, finishing between 2026 and 2029.
SAT Terminal C. The new terminal broke ground on December 10, 2024, and has grown to 18 gates and 850,000 square feet. It is due to open in the second quarter of 2028. Corgan and Lake Flato designed it, and Hensel Phelps is construction manager.
Water and wastewater. SAWS proposed a $607.8 million capital budget for 2026, of which $477.9 million is for wastewater.
VIA Green Line. The $480 million, 10.35-mile rapid bus line has a $268 million federal grant. Heavy construction was due to start in March 2026, road work finishes in late 2027 and service starts in early 2028.
Spurs arena. Bexar County voters approved Prop B with 52.14% on November 4, 2025. The county will pay up to $311 million toward the $1.3 billion arena, the city $489 million plus about $60 million for land, and the Spurs at least $500 million. Opening is expected in the second half of 2032, though the Spurs say the date is not set.
Growth. Metro San Antonio reached 2,813,140 people in July 2025.

Civil specialties tied to these projects

Transportation and roadway design for I-35 NEX, Loop 1604 and other TxDOT work.
Water and wastewater engineers for the SAWS capital program.
Aviation civil engineers for Terminal C.
Transit and traffic engineers for the VIA Green Line and the arena district.
Geotechnical engineers and materials testing staff for highway, airport and building work.
Site and land development engineers for growth in Comal County and the north side.
Construction engineering and inspection (CEI) staff for TxDOT and airport projects.

The talent pipeline

UT San Antonio (formerly UTSA). UT San Antonio offers an ABET-accredited BS in civil engineering. Its construction science program is accredited by ACCE.
Trinity University. Trinity’s ABET-accredited engineering science BS has no civil or structural track.
St. Mary’s University. St. Mary’s does not offer a civil engineering degree. Its ABET-accredited programs are industrial and mechanical engineering.
Nearby schools. Texas State University in San Marcos has an ABET-accredited civil engineering BS, and UT Austin’s civil program ranked No. 4 in the 2025-2026 U.S. News graduate rankings.
Texas outlook. Read more in our Texas civil engineer statistics.
Licensing. Senior roles usually require a Texas PE license, issued by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

What this means if you’re hiring

Expect Austin to compete. Austin’s median is $12,180 higher, and many San Antonio firms also have Austin offices.
Price senior roles at the 75th percentile. For licensed PEs, plan on $113,760 or higher. Strong candidates may also compare against the Texas 75th percentile of $127,340.
Transportation work runs through 2029. I-35 NEX and Loop 1604 keep roadway and bridge engineers busy for years.
Build from UT San Antonio. It is the main local source of new civil graduates, since St. Mary’s and Trinity do not offer civil degrees.

Need civil engineers in San Antonio?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place civil, transportation, water and site development engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 512.686.1181 or see our San Antonio engineering recruiters page.

Hire civil engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do civil engineers make in San Antonio?

The median civil engineer salary in metro San Antonio is $88,290 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $73,730 and $113,760, and the top 10% earn $133,900 or more.

Do civil engineers earn more in San Antonio or Austin?

Austin pays more. Its median is $100,470, against $88,290 in San Antonio. Houston ($100,950) and Dallas-Fort Worth ($96,920) are also higher. See our Austin civil engineer talent map.

Who hires civil engineers in San Antonio?

Local design firms such as Pape-Dawson, Bain Medina Bain and Unintech, state and national firms such as Kimley-Horn, Halff, Freese and Nichols, HDR and Garver, testing firms such as Raba Kistner, and public owners such as TxDOT, SAWS and VIA.

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