Talent Maps / Orlando / Civil Engineers

Orlando Civil Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What civil engineers earn in metro Orlando, which firms and public owners employ them, where in the metro they work, and the expressway, airport, rail and water projects competing for them.

Hiring civil engineers in Orlando?

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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area (Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties). 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 2025 to 2026. Our civil engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Orlando structural, electrical and data center engineer talent maps.

$100,740Median civil engineer pay in metro OrlandoBLS, May 2025

$165,320+What the top 10% of Orlando civil engineers earnBLS, May 2025

37,690People added to metro Orlando in the year to July 2025Census Bureau, March 2026

$4.2BCentral Florida Expressway Authority work plan for 2026 to 2030CFX, June 2025

$5.9BCapital improvement program at Orlando International AirportGOAA, October 2025

$4BEstimated cost of the proposed Sunshine Corridor rail linkTrains, January 2025

Civil engineer salaries in Orlando

The median civil engineer in metro Orlando earns $100,740 a year, $2,170 above the Florida median of $98,570 and $100 below the national median of $100,840. The top of the market is strong. Orlando’s 90th percentile is $165,320, against $163,220 nationally, though the Florida figure of $166,680 is slightly higher. The hourly median is $48.43.

Annual pay percentile	Orlando metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$67,170	$58,640	$68,240
25th percentile	$78,810	$76,740	$79,930
Median	$100,740	$98,570	$100,840
75th percentile	$129,160	$128,450	$129,680
90th percentile	$165,320	$166,680	$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 $62,300 in Orlando, a little below the Florida median of $63,410. Pay ranges from $38,990 at the 10th percentile to $88,740 at the 90th.

What the spread means in practice: Orlando and Tampa are almost level for licensed engineers. Tampa’s median is $100,570, $170 below Orlando’s, and its 90th percentile is higher at $170,110. Jacksonville is also close at $102,280, while the Miami metro median is lower at $83,750.

Where Orlando’s civil engineers work

Design firms

Kimley-Horn runs 27 Florida offices, including Orlando (200 South Orange Avenue) and Lake Nona. Dewberry has an Orlando office on North Magnolia Avenue, one of 12 it lists in Florida.

Public owners

FDOT District 5 covers Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties, plus Brevard, Flagler, Marion, Sumter and Volusia. The Central Florida Expressway Authority manages toll roads across Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

Utilities and airport

Orange County Utilities budgeted just under $298 million for infrastructure in the next fiscal year, as reported in September 2025. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority runs a $5.9 billion capital program at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Geotechnical and testing

Ardaman & Associates has its corporate headquarters in Orlando and ten Florida branch offices. It does geotechnical engineering, materials testing, sinkhole investigation and subsurface work, and it has a research partnership with UCF’s civil engineering department.

Where the talent sits: Orlando submarkets

Downtown Orlando and I-4

TransportationInterchanges

FDOT’s Orlando South Ultimate interchange at I-4 and the Turnpike is under reconstruction, and the I-4 and SR 535 interchange is due to open in 2026.

Airport and Southeast Orlando

AviationRail

MCO’s $5.9 billion program includes a new baggage system for Terminals A and B and Terminal C, Phase 2 by 2035. The proposed Sunshine Corridor would extend Brightline west from the airport station.

Southwest Orange and Horizon West

UtilitiesLand development

Orange County is expanding its Hamlin Water Reclamation Facility near Winter Garden. A Turnpike and Sand Lake Road interchange costing $114.6 million runs through late 2027.

Osceola County and Poinciana

RoadwaysLand development

CFX plans an SR 538 Poinciana Parkway Extension, with groundbreaking planned for 2026. FDOT is starting I-4 work from US 27 to ChampionsGate.

Lake County and Seminole County

ExpresswaysTransit

The SR 516 Lake/Orange Expressway is a three-segment, $650 million corridor. CFX is also studying an SR 417 Sanford Airport Connector.

What’s driving demand for civil engineers in Orlando

CFX expressway program. The authority’s work plan for 2026 to 2030, adopted in June 2025, totals $4.2 billion: $2.95 billion for new expressways, $410 million for existing roads and $338 million for interchanges. It includes SR 534, SR 414, SR 516 and the Poinciana Parkway extension.
I-4 and SR 528. FDOT describes a $500 million construction package under Moving I-4 Forward, targeted for completion by summer 2031. A seven-mile SR 528 widening from Goldenrod to Innovation Way began in 2025.
Airport expansion. GOAA’s board approved a vision in October 2025 that includes a $5.9 billion MCO capital program and 8,000 more parking spaces by 2030.
Rail. Brightline and SunRail have proposed a $4 billion Sunshine Corridor to link the airport, the convention center area and the I-4 corridor. In January 2025 it was still at the feasibility study stage. Brightline is also studying an extension to Tampa.
Water and wastewater. Orange County’s water customer base grew 93% from 1999 to 2024 and its wastewater customers 91%. It is expanding reclamation plants in the east, southwest and south of the county.
Growth. Metro Orlando reached 2,957,672 people in July 2025 and has added 284,300 since the 2020 Census.
Tourism construction. Disney’s development agreement covers about $17 billion of work over 15 years, and the Orange County Convention Center expansion is a $560 million project due in 2029. Both need site and utility design.

Civil specialties tied to these projects

Transportation and roadway design for CFX expressways, I-4 and SR 528.
Aviation civil engineers for terminal, apron and landside work at MCO.
Water, wastewater and reclaimed water engineers for Orange County Utilities and the Orlando area’s growth corridors.
Site and land development engineers for Horizon West, Osceola County and Lake County subdivisions.
Geotechnical engineers for sinkhole investigation, subsurface work and materials testing on road and site projects.

The talent pipeline

University of Central Florida. UCF’s bachelor’s programs in civil, environmental and construction engineering are all ABET accredited. U.S. News ranked its civil engineering graduate program No. 61 in its 2026 listing, up four places.
Data centers. Large data center sites also need site civil and stormwater engineers. See our US data center map.
Licensing. Senior roles usually require a Florida PE license from the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. Florida does not offer reciprocity, so engineers licensed elsewhere must meet Florida’s requirements, which adds time to out-of-state hires.

What this means if you’re hiring

Expect Tampa to compete. Tampa’s median of $100,570 is within $170 of Orlando’s, and its 90th percentile is $4,790 higher.
Price licensed PEs at the 75th percentile. For senior roles, plan on $129,160 or higher, and more for expressway or airport experience.
Plan for the Florida PE rule. Out-of-state engineers cannot transfer a license, so allow time for Florida licensure.
Build from UCF. It is the main local source of new civil graduates, with a strong geotechnical research link to local firms.

Need civil engineers in Orlando?

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 813.701.2797 or see our Orlando engineering recruiters page.

Hire civil engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do civil engineers make in Orlando?

The median civil engineer salary in metro Orlando is $100,740 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $78,810 and $129,160, and the top 10% earn $165,320 or more.

Do civil engineers earn more in Orlando or Tampa?

Orlando, by a very small margin. Its median is $100,740, against $100,570 in Tampa. See our Tampa civil engineer talent map.

Who hires civil engineers in Orlando?

Design firms such as Kimley-Horn and Dewberry, geotechnical firms such as Ardaman & Associates, and public owners such as FDOT District 5, the Central Florida Expressway Authority, Orange County Utilities and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.

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