Talent Maps / Jacksonville / Structural Engineers

Jacksonville Structural Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What structural engineers earn in metro Jacksonville, which builders and design firms employ them, where in the metro they work, and the stadium, downtown, aviation and industrial projects competing for them.

Hiring structural engineers in Jacksonville?

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 Jacksonville metro area (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker counties). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) groups structural engineers with civil engineers, so the pay figures below are for civil engineers, and the demand picture uses project data published from 2025 to 2026. Our civil and structural engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Jacksonville civil, mechanical and electrical engineer talent maps.

$102,280Median civil engineer pay in metro Jacksonville, the BLS code that covers structural engineersBLS, May 2025

$161,180+What the top 10% of Jacksonville civil and structural engineers earnBLS, May 2025

$1.4BEverBank Stadium renovation, with a new steel truss canopy, due for the 2028 seasonNFL.com, 2026

$8.8BDowntown Jacksonville project pipeline, with $2.23 billion under constructionDowntown Investment Authority

$500MPearl Square, whose first phase has broken ground downtownDowntown Investment Authority

1M+ sq ftA building proposed at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center, 1,006,880 square feetJacksonville Daily Record, 2026

Structural engineer salaries in Jacksonville

BLS does not publish a separate structural engineer wage, so the best local benchmark is the civil engineer code. The median in metro Jacksonville is $102,280 a year, $3,710 above the Florida median of $98,570 and $1,440 above the national median of $100,840. The hourly median is $49.17. The 90th percentile of $161,180 is below the Florida figure of $166,680.

Annual pay percentile	Jacksonville metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$63,590	$58,640	$68,240
25th percentile	$79,780	$76,740	$79,930
Median	$102,280	$98,570	$100,840
75th percentile	$127,830	$128,450	$129,680
90th percentile	$161,180	$166,680	$163,220

Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051), the code that includes structural engineers. 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 structural design teams, earn a median of $58,110 in Jacksonville, below the Florida median of $63,410. Pay ranges from $44,270 at the 10th percentile to $90,210 at the 90th.

Treat it as a floor for licensed structural roles, since the code also covers many other civil specialties. For comparison, in Orlando the civil median is $100,740. Jacksonville is $1,540 higher, and its 25th percentile of $79,780 is higher than Orlando’s $78,810.

Where Jacksonville’s structural work is

Stadium and downtown builders

Haskell, a Jacksonville-based design-build firm founded in 1965, built EverBank Stadium and had about 2,400 employees in 2025. HOK, from its Kansas City and Denver studios, designed the Stadium of the Future renovation.

Aviation and defense

Boeing’s Cecil Airport campus now exceeds 1.1 million square feet and supports Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. Scannell Properties holds the ground lease for the South Yard Phase II hangar from the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. Fleet Readiness Center Southeast has about 5,000 civilian, military and contract workers.

Industrial and manufacturing owners

Johnson & Johnson Vision has committed more than $1 billion to a new distribution facility and manufacturing and packaging upgrades in Jacksonville, with full operation expected in 2028. Hillwood is the master developer at Cecil and has built about 4 million square feet.

Public owners and bridge builders

FDOT District 2 and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise are building the First Coast Expressway, including a new St. Johns River bridge. Sacyr’s northern Clay County segment has 26 bridges and more than 25 mechanically stabilized earth walls. JAXPORT adds warehouse and berth structures.

Where the talent sits: Jacksonville submarkets

Downtown and the stadium district

SportsHotelHigh rise

The stadium work is about 15% complete as of April 2026. The Four Seasons is a 176 room hotel with more than 20 residences across from the stadium.

Riverfront and Southbank

Mixed useParks

Riverfront Plaza on the former Jacksonville Landing site had its first phase nearing completion in 2025. A 130,000 square foot Museum of Science and History was set to start construction in late 2025.

Northside and the port

PortWarehouse

JAXPORT is adding a 250,000 square foot warehouse at Talleyrand and a $54 million Berth 20. Southeast Toyota Distributors planned a $120 million, 340,000 square foot facility.

Westside and Cecil Airport

AviationIndustrial

Boeing’s South Yard Phase II is a roughly 201,714 square foot, four bay hangar on 35.8 acres, described as a $90 million expansion.

Clay and St. Johns counties

BridgesHighway

The expressway’s new St. Johns River bridge replaces the Shands Bridge crossing, with 65 feet of clearance against 45 feet today.

What’s driving demand for structural engineers in Jacksonville

EverBank Stadium. The $1.4 billion renovation adds a transparent shade canopy on a steel truss system and a 360 degree concourse raised 30 feet above ground. More than 27,000 seats go offline in 2026, and the work is due to finish for the 2028 season.
Downtown pipeline. The Downtown Investment Authority counts $8.8 billion in projects, with $2.23 billion under construction, including the first phase of the $500 million Pearl Square.
Aviation hangars. Boeing’s first Cecil campus cost $183.6 million and includes 270,000 square feet of hangar space. Phase II adds roughly 201,714 square feet.
Industrial and logistics buildings. Hillwood wants to grade 243.52 acres for a 1,006,880 square foot building, and Johnson & Johnson Vision began construction on its more than $1 billion expansion by June 2026.
Bridges and retaining walls. The First Coast Expressway runs through 2030 and uses bridges over Black Creek and the St. Johns River, plus mechanically stabilized earth walls.

Structural specialties tied to these projects

Long span steel and canopy design for the stadium roof and truss system.
High rise and hotel engineers for the Four Seasons, Pearl Square and other downtown towers.
Aviation hangar and large clear span engineers for Boeing and other Cecil Airport tenants.
Tilt wall and precast engineers for logistics and manufacturing buildings of 1 million square feet or more.
Bridge engineers for the St. Johns River crossing and the Clay County expressway segments.

The talent pipeline

University of North Florida. UNF’s BS in civil engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Licensing. Senior roles usually require a Florida PE license, issued by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. The board also runs a Structural Engineering Recognition Program.
Related roles. Large industrial projects need site civil and mechanical teams as well. See our Jacksonville civil engineer talent map.

What this means if you’re hiring

Plan around the stadium schedule. The most disruptive work is planned for 2027, and the building reopens in 2028, so expect demand to peak before then.
Price PEs at or above $127,830. That is the civil 75th percentile in metro Jacksonville.
Compete with aviation and industrial owners. Boeing, Hillwood and Johnson & Johnson Vision all have large building programs running at the same time.
Do not assume a pay gap to Orlando. Jacksonville’s civil median of $102,280 is $1,540 above Orlando’s.

Need structural engineers in Jacksonville?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Jacksonville engineering recruiters page.

Hire structural engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do structural engineers make in Jacksonville?

BLS groups structural engineers with civil engineers. The median civil engineer salary in metro Jacksonville is $102,280 a year (May 2025). The middle half earn between $79,780 and $127,830, and the top 10% earn $161,180 or more.

Do structural engineers earn more in Jacksonville or Orlando?

On the civil engineer code that includes them, Jacksonville is slightly higher. Its median is $102,280, against $100,740 in Orlando. See our Orlando structural engineer talent map.

Who hires structural engineers in Jacksonville?

Design-build firms such as Haskell, architects and engineers working on projects such as the HOK-designed stadium renovation, aviation owners such as Boeing and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, industrial owners such as Johnson & Johnson Vision, and public owners such as FDOT District 2 and JAXPORT.

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