Talent Maps / Columbia, SC / Structural Engineers

Columbia, SC Structural Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What structural engineers earn in metro Columbia, which design firms and contractors employ them, where in the metro they work, and the towers, bridges, campus and plant projects competing for them.

Hiring structural engineers in Columbia?

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 Columbia, SC metro area, which spans Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Fairfield, Saluda and Calhoun counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project data published from 2024 to 2026. Our civil and structural engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Columbia civil, mechanical and electrical engineer talent maps.

$94,520Median civil and structural engineer pay in metro ColumbiaBLS, May 2025

$147,430+What the top 10% of Columbia civil and structural engineers earnBLS, May 2025

26 storiesōLiv Columbia tower on Main Street, just under 300 feet, the tallest new downtown building in a generationPost and Courier, 2026

330,000 sq ftUSC School of Medicine building in the BullStreet District, topped out in January 2026USC Health Sciences Campus

43New bridges in the $2.69 billion Carolina Crossroads programSCDOT

3,400 ftBridge 35 on Carolina Crossroads Phase 1, 34 spans over the Saluda River and CSX railroadENR, 2024

Structural engineer salaries in Columbia

BLS does not publish a separate code for structural engineers. It groups them with civil engineers, so the figures below are for civil engineers (SOC 17-2051) and describe the nearest official benchmark. The median in metro Columbia is $94,520 a year, $7,080 below the South Carolina median of $101,600 and $6,320 below the national median of $100,840. Columbia’s 90th percentile is $147,430, against $156,380 statewide and $163,220 nationally. The hourly median is $45.44.

Annual pay percentile	Columbia metro	South Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$66,490	$67,950	$68,240
25th percentile	$76,850	$80,360	$79,930
Median	$94,520	$101,600	$100,840
75th percentile	$124,730	$131,550	$129,680
90th percentile	$147,430	$156,380	$163,220

Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051), the BLS group 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 and field techs who support structural teams, earn a median of $57,640 in Columbia, against $53,710 for South Carolina and $64,950 nationally. Pay ranges from $45,750 at the 10th percentile to $80,600 at the 90th.

Greenville’s civil median is $102,830, which is $8,310 above Columbia’s, and its 90th percentile of $160,610 is $13,180 higher. Because the BLS code blends bridge, site and building engineers, structural engineers who design towers, hospitals or long-span bridges often earn more than the median. Treat the 75th percentile of $124,730 as a floor for licensed senior hires.

Where Columbia’s structural work is

Structural design firms

Chao and Associates is a Columbia consulting firm founded in 1987. It designs new structures, expansions and renovations of older infrastructure, alongside civil engineering and surveying.

Kimley-Horn’s Columbia office lists structural engineering with its roadway, civil and transportation services.

Building contractors and developers

Juneau Construction is general contractor on ōLiv Columbia for developer Core Spaces, with dwell design studio as the design partner.

Gilbane is building USC’s new School of Medicine. Keller installed the auger cast pile foundations, and the research wing uses a cast-in-place concrete frame.

Bridge builders

Archer Western and United Infrastructure Group built Carolina Crossroads Phases 1 and 2. Phase 1 included the 3,400-foot Bridge 35 and a 650-foot curved steel girder bridge.

A United-Blythe joint venture holds Phase 3C, which replaces the I-20 bridges over the Saluda River and CSX railroad.

Public and federal owners

SCDOT owns the interstate bridges. The City of Columbia is rebuilding the Columbia Canal headgates and embankment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, manages construction at Fort Jackson.

Where the talent sits: Columbia submarkets

Main Street and downtown

High-riseParking structures

ōLiv Columbia pairs its tower with a 1,600-stall parking garage. The city issued $33 million in superstructure permits in January 2026, and delivery is expected in summer 2028. A Grand Bohemian Hotel conversion nearby is expected to finish between 2027 and 2028.

BullStreet District

HealthcareResearch labs

The USC School of Medicine is the first phase of a 16-acre Health Sciences Campus. It reached topping out in January 2026 and is scheduled for completion in August 2027.

I-20, I-26 and I-126 corridor

BridgesInterchanges

Phase 3C was 25% complete in 2026. SCDOT has studied a turbine interchange at I-20 and I-26, which would be the state’s first.

Riverfront and Columbia Canal

Water structuresEmbankments

The new river intake includes a concrete wet well and a bridge for access and piping. Embankment repair at the 2015 breach is estimated at about $60 million.

Blythewood

IndustrialLong-span

Scout’s Production Center includes body shop, paint shop and final assembly buildings, a tunnel bridge between the body and paint shops, and a supplier park under construction.

What’s driving demand for structural engineers in Columbia

Downtown housing towers. ōLiv Columbia is an estimated $225 million project that will bring more than 2,000 beds downtown. Richland County approved significant tax breaks to support it.
USC Health Sciences Campus. The 330,000 gross square foot medical education and research building topped out in January 2026 and remains on schedule for August 2027.
Carolina Crossroads bridges. The program includes 43 new bridges. ENR reported more rock than expected in Phase 1 drilled shafts near the river, and a 650-foot curved steel bridge was the biggest structural challenge.
Canal recovery. The city’s 2024 plan put headgate replacement at about $12 million and embankment repair at about $60 million, with all work due by December 2027.
Industrial plants. Scout is building a $300 million supplier park, Prysmian is expanding its Lexington plant for $80 million with operations due in May 2028, and AVANTech added 45,000 square feet in Columbia.
Military construction. The Fort Jackson child development center is about 37,300 square feet, and construction was expected to begin in fall 2026.

Structural specialties tied to these projects

High-rise concrete and steel design for Main Street towers and parking garages.
Healthcare and laboratory structures for the USC Health Sciences Campus.
Bridge engineers for SCDOT and the remaining Carolina Crossroads phases.
Water and hydraulic structures for the canal intake, wet well and embankment.
Industrial building engineers for Scout, Prysmian and Lexington County plants.

The talent pipeline

University of South Carolina. USC’s ABET-accredited civil engineering program enrolled 488 students in fall 2025 and awarded 72 degrees in 2024.
Licensing. Structural engineers in responsible charge usually need a South Carolina PE license from the SC Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. The path is an ABET degree and the FE exam, four years of supervised experience, then the PE exam.
Related talent. Civil engineers on the same projects are covered in our Columbia civil engineer talent map.

What this means if you’re hiring

Expect bridge work to pull engineers from buildings. Carolina Crossroads and the towers downtown compete for the same licensed people.
Price senior roles at the 75th percentile. For licensed PEs, plan on $124,730 or higher.
Match offers to long schedules. The medical school runs to 2027, ōLiv to 2028 and Carolina Crossroads into the mid-2030s.
Watch Greenville. Its median is $8,310 above Columbia’s, so Upstate firms can outbid local ones.

Need structural engineers in Columbia?

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

Call 803.832.4646 or see our Columbia engineering recruiters page.

Hire structural engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do structural engineers make in Columbia, SC?

BLS groups structural engineers with civil engineers. The median civil engineer salary in metro Columbia is $94,520 a year, according to May 2025 data. The middle half earn between $76,850 and $124,730, and the top 10% earn $147,430 or more.

Do structural engineers earn more in Columbia or Greenville?

Greenville. Its civil and structural median is $102,830, $8,310 above Columbia’s $94,520, and its 90th percentile is $160,610 against $147,430. See our Greenville-Spartanburg structural engineer talent map.

Who hires structural engineers in Columbia?

Design firms such as Chao and Associates and Kimley-Horn, building contractors such as Juneau Construction and Gilbane, bridge builders such as Archer Western, United Infrastructure Group and Blythe, and owners such as SCDOT, the City of Columbia, the University of South Carolina and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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