Structural Engineer Salary (2026)
Typical pay is $100,840 a year, with most structural engineers earning between $79,930 and $129,680. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›Structural Engineer
Nationally, the typical structural engineer earns $100,840 a year. Early-career pay starts around $79,930, experienced structural engineers earn $129,680 or more, and the top 10% make over $163,220. About 367,840 people work in this occupation in the US. Pay is highest in California ($122,500) and, among metro areas, in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($130,280).
Structural Engineer salary in the United States
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What structural engineers do
Structural engineers make sure buildings, bridges and other structures can carry their loads safely, designing in steel, concrete, wood and masonry. BLS counts them with civil engineers, so the figures shown are for that wider group. A PE license, and in some states a separate Structural Engineer (SE) license, is expected for senior roles.
Structural Engineer salary by state
Typical annual pay for structural engineers in every state where BLS publishes figures, highest first.
| State | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $122,500 | $96,590 | $149,350 |
| Alaska | $114,730 | $94,960 | $134,280 |
| Washington | $110,000 | $96,230 | $133,050 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | $84,570 | $134,810 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | $78,770 | $127,940 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | $82,580 | $135,870 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | $82,270 | $134,270 |
| Nevada | $104,310 | $83,530 | $148,150 |
| New Mexico | $103,900 | $79,570 | $129,310 |
| District of Columbia | $103,880 | $82,120 | $130,720 |
| New York | $103,760 | $84,740 | $135,920 |
| Connecticut | $103,150 | $83,390 | $130,150 |
| Nebraska | $103,150 | $80,410 | $125,930 |
| South Carolina | $101,600 | $80,360 | $131,550 |
| Minnesota | $101,480 | $80,500 | $129,670 |
| Colorado | $101,420 | $82,830 | $132,200 |
| Kentucky | $100,930 | $78,960 | $122,930 |
| North Carolina | $100,730 | $79,140 | $125,730 |
| Maryland | $100,680 | $81,640 | $126,620 |
| Delaware | $100,220 | $81,470 | $126,810 |
| Mississippi | $100,170 | $75,730 | $124,240 |
| Illinois | $99,760 | $79,650 | $125,990 |
| Rhode Island | $99,300 | $79,040 | $150,160 |
| Alabama | $99,010 | $77,750 | $128,900 |
| Oklahoma | $98,760 | $79,170 | $127,590 |
| New Hampshire | $98,710 | $76,960 | $118,980 |
| South Dakota | $98,700 | $80,560 | $115,180 |
| Florida | $98,570 | $76,740 | $128,450 |
| Indiana | $98,270 | $77,510 | $121,550 |
| North Dakota | $98,190 | $76,950 | $117,060 |
| Idaho | $98,030 | $78,990 | $113,160 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,850 | $77,920 | $122,320 |
| Maine | $97,820 | $80,410 | $113,330 |
| Virginia | $97,120 | $79,150 | $126,780 |
| Kansas | $96,880 | $77,170 | $125,990 |
| Texas | $96,860 | $77,200 | $127,340 |
| Utah | $96,830 | $78,510 | $123,240 |
| Iowa | $96,430 | $76,760 | $120,230 |
| Ohio | $96,220 | $77,820 | $124,930 |
| Tennessee | $95,910 | $76,900 | $123,160 |
| Vermont | $95,600 | $78,870 | $104,770 |
| Wisconsin | $94,600 | $75,920 | $111,400 |
| Hawaii | $94,280 | $77,720 | $113,550 |
| Montana | $93,070 | $76,770 | $105,980 |
| Missouri | $92,750 | $77,410 | $114,990 |
| Michigan | $92,100 | $75,470 | $109,870 |
| Wyoming | $90,590 | $77,610 | $106,220 |
| Arizona | $89,660 | $76,340 | $109,930 |
| West Virginia | $86,930 | $62,070 | $112,400 |
| Arkansas | $85,020 | $64,500 | $105,090 |
| Georgia | $84,240 | $75,090 | $114,380 |
Highest-paying metro areas
| Metro area | Typical |
|---|---|
| 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $130,280 |
| 2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $130,160 |
| 3. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $130,150 |
| 4. Mankato, MN | $128,220 |
| 5. Redding, CA | $126,000 |
| 6. Napa, CA | $123,440 |
| 7. Walla Walla, WA | $123,030 |
| 8. Vallejo, CA | $122,510 |
| 9. Salinas, CA | $122,160 |
| 10. Kennewick-Richland, WA | $121,370 |
| 11. Yuba City, CA | $119,990 |
| 12. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $119,980 |
| 13. Fresno, CA | $119,720 |
| 14. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $118,050 |
| 15. Stockton-Lodi, CA | $116,990 |
Pay in Apollo's markets
| Metro | Typical |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | $88,000 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $96,920 |
| Houston | $100,950 |
| Austin | $100,470 |
| Charlotte | $102,370 |
| Raleigh | $101,440 |
| San Antonio | $88,290 |
| Chicago | $100,160 |
| Orlando | $100,740 |
| Tampa | $100,570 |
| Miami | $83,750 |
| Jacksonville | $102,280 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg | $102,830 |
| Columbia, SC | $94,520 |
| Charleston, SC | $98,740 |
| Savannah | $98,950 |
Related engineering salaries
Structural Engineer salary FAQs
How much does a structural engineer make in the US?
The typical (median) structural engineer in the US earns $100,840 a year, or about $48.48 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a structural engineer in the US?
Early-career structural engineers in the US typically earn around $79,930 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $68,240. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced structural engineers earn in the US?
Experienced structural engineers in the US earn $129,680 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $163,220.
Which state pays structural engineers the most?
California has the highest typical pay for structural engineers at $122,500 a year. The highest-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $130,280 (BLS, May 2025).
Are structural engineers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 6.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 22,700 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring structural engineers?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051).