Civil engineers who are considering a move often ask me where their salary will truly stretch the furthest. It is a fair question, and the answer is not just about the top line number on an offer. Real purchasing power is a blend of wages, cost of living, taxes, the strength of a region’s project pipeline, and how quickly you can get your license recognized if you cross state lines. As the leader of a technical recruiting firm that places both engineers and project managers, I hear this question at least once a week and have seen how the answer plays out in practice.
Below I break down ten U.S. regions where civil engineers tend to keep more of what they earn. I also explain how I evaluate these markets day to day so you can apply the same lens to your own situation.
How I define “goes furthest”
Three ingredients matter most:
Wages. Nationally, the median annual wage for civil engineers was $99,590 in May 2024, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS also publishes state and metro wage estimates you can use to benchmark offers by location (state tables).
Cost of living. To compare places, I look at price levels using the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). These indices capture overall price levels by state and metro, including housing. Lower RPP means your dollar buys more. See the BEA’s latest release for the methodology and data tables. As a simple example, Huntsville’s 2023 all-items RPP was ~94.4, meaning prices run about 6 percent below the U.S. average, according to BEA series data published via FRED.
After-tax take home and pipeline. State income tax affects net pay. The Tax Foundation keeps an up-to-date comparison of state income tax rates and brackets. Finally, a healthy pipeline matters because overtime, bonuses, and steady utilization depend on it. I reference state DOT plans, major local capital programs, and large private industrial investments where relevant, and link those sources in each section.
When you combine BLS wages by state or metro with BEA’s price parity data, the pattern is consistent. Low to mid RPP regions with robust public programs or anchor private investment deliver the best salary-to-expenses ratio. If you like to check the math, start with BLS wages and divide by the BEA RPP index level to get a purchasing-power proxy. Then look at taxes. For example, Texas has no state income tax while North Carolina’s is trending down.
Research Triangle, North Carolina
Raleigh–Durham–Chapel Hill has a balanced mix of public and private work. NCDOT’s 2024–2033 State Transportation Improvement Program keeps a steady backlog of projects already prioritized and funded, even after cost pressures forced the state to carry forward prior commitments. Phase 1 of the Complete 540 expansion opened in late 2024, and Phase 2 is moving forward to connect Knightdale, which means more design and CM needs through the decade. Raleigh’s Bus Rapid Transit program continues to pull capital dollars into the region’s corridors.
North Carolina also lowered its flat individual income tax rate to 4.25 percent for 2025, with a planned drop to 3.99 percent after 2025, which nudges net pay in the right direction. Combine moderate wages with mid-pack prices and a durable pipeline, and the Triangle scores well on purchasing power.
Last spring I placed a roadway design lead moving from Northern Virginia. We analyzed two offers equal on base. After RPP and tax adjustments and a realistic projection of overtime on NCDOT work, the Raleigh role produced about 10 to 12 percent better effective take home. He also cared about a commute he could actually predict, which sealed it.
Kansas City, Missouri–Kansas
Kansas City has a surprisingly deep bench of heavy civil and transit work for a mid-cost market. The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension opens October 24, 2025, capping a $352 million program that leveraged federal and local funding. On the highway side, the Kansas IKE program is a nearly $10 billion, 10–year commitment that keeps design and construction flowing across modes.
I have seen candidates step into KC and get quick responsibility. One drainage EIT I coached moved from a coastal city, picked up complex utility coordination on an interstate interchange, and was reviewing submittals within six months. That velocity is common when a region’s public pipeline is active and firms cannot afford to keep rising stars on the sidelines.
Houston, Texas
Houston is rare: high engineering wages paired with a cost profile that, while rising, still trails coastal hubs. Texas has no state income tax, which boosts net pay for many engineers. A water resources PM we moved in 2024 traded a high-tax city for Houston. Same base, higher bonus upside tied to TxDOT work, and no state income tax. After run-rate modeling, his net was roughly 8 percent higher without changing his lifestyle.
The transportation pipeline is enormous. Texas’ 10-year Unified Transportation Program is again north of $100 billion, with the 2025 UTP at $104.2 billion and the state continuing to forecast record levels for 2026 as well. Water work is also steady. Harris County voters approved a $2.5 billion flood control bond program that continues to generate design and construction volume years after Hurricane Harvey. There are funding debates and timing challenges, which the local press has covered in detail, but for firms with flood, channel, or detention expertise, the region remains a top producer of projects.
Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo, Utah
Utah’s population growth keeps the Wasatch Front busy across highways, transit, and site development. The UDOT and UTA FrontRunner strategic double-tracking program is designed to push peak frequencies to 15 minutes, with federal grants, state funds, and new rolling stock in the mix. UDOT’s STIP is actively managed and frequently amended, with current fund tables posted for public review.
Utah’s price levels sit a bit below the coasts and wages for transportation and water specialists are competitive. If you like fast-moving transit and highway work, or vertical development tied to tech expansion, your salary stretches well here because utilization stays high.
Columbus, Ohio
Central Ohio is a textbook case of how one mega-project ripples through the entire civil market. Intel’s semiconductor campus in New Albany kicked off regional-scale utility, roadway, and site work, and the CHIPS Act support has kept momentum. See Intel’s newsroom updates and state infrastructure briefings for the latest capital plan details. ODOT’s annual construction program routinely lands in the multi-billion dollar range, which stabilizes design and CM needs across central Ohio.
Housing remains more attainable than in many tech metros. For engineers who want large-site grading, industrial utilities, and heavy haul logistics experience, Columbus provides that without coastal price tags.
Oklahoma City–Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a value play. The Department of Transportation’s eight-year Construction Work Plan for FFY 2025–2032 includes nearly $9 billion across 1,700 plus projects, addressing hundreds of bridges and thousands of miles of pavement. Oklahoma City’s MAPS 4 program adds another $1.1 billion in community and mobility projects that keep local firms busy.
I have seen mid-career roadway engineers step into broader PM roles in OKC faster than in pricier markets. When a region invests steadily and the cost of living is low, your savings rate and your resume both benefit.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte mixes land development, aviation, and regional mobility work. The Destination CLT program at Charlotte Douglas International Airport continues to modernize concourses and airfield systems, a long-horizon capital plan that favors engineers who like vertical-plus-airfield interfaces. Combine that with the broader NCDOT pipeline and the region’s private development, and you have a diversified portfolio that supports competitive pay without coastal costs.
A candidate story I will not forget: a civil with three years of site design experience landed on the owner’s rep side at the airport. Two promotions later, she now leads consultant coordination on apron expansions. That trajectory is easier to achieve when a single program runs for years and rewards institutional knowledge.
St. Louis, Missouri–Illinois
St. Louis tends to surprise people. The region has a long-running, multi-billion dollar water program through the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Project Clear, a 28-year, $6 billion initiative that continues to issue major tunnel and system projects. The federal government’s Next NGA West headquarters is a $1.7 to $2.0 billion campus in the city that has carried site, utility, and road improvements and continued facility work through occupancy.
Put bluntly, St. Louis offers solid engineering wages and a cost of living that undercuts national averages. If you are a tunnels, conveyance, or treatment plant person, your take-home goes far here.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix has big-ticket private and public work. TSMC’s multi-fab campus is one of the largest industrial projects in the country, with billions in capital investment and a web of supporting infrastructure needs across water, power, and mobility. Population growth keeps freeways and arterials busy, and drought resilience drives water infrastructure. Prices have risen, but for engineers who want mega-project credentials, Phoenix can deliver experience that leaps off a resume.
A water engineer moved from the Midwest to a Phoenix firm that splits time between advanced industrial water reuse and municipal distribution work. Base jumped, housing costs jumped, and yet his bonus and overtime pushed his net ahead after a full year. The differentiator was utilization. The firm had more work than staff.
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville leverages both federal and state pipelines. ALDOT’s STIP and TIP amendments in the metro area show a steady run of highway work, including I-565 widening and interchange improvements that kicked off in late 2024 and into 2025. Price levels remain below the U.S. average, per BEA RPP data for the MSA.
On the federal side, Marshall Space Flight Center and defense work keep local A-E teams busy. Even modest facility additions ripple into roads, utilities, and site packages. For engineers early in their careers, Huntsville offers responsibility sooner, a lower cost base, and a strong peer community.
Charlotte’s cousin to the north: a quick word on Raleigh vs. Charlotte
People often ask me which one stretches pay further. Raleigh offers the toll road and BRT pipeline noted above, while Charlotte leans into aviation and private development alongside NCDOT. Both benefit from North Carolina’s falling income tax rate. If your work leans water and transit, Raleigh might edge it. If you want airport or large commercial, Charlotte might win. Either way, both score well compared with coastal peers.
Licensing mobility: how fast can you practice after a move
If you are already licensed, the NCEES Records program is accepted by all U.S. state licensing boards for comity applications, which streamlines multistate practice. Requirements still vary by board, but having your transcript, PE exam verification, references, and work history in an NCEES Record compresses timelines. If your job will cross borders, ask about company support for Record fees during offer negotiations.
What about places I did not include
There are excellent engineering markets not listed here. Denver, Nashville, Tampa Bay, and Minneapolis–St. Paul each have real strengths. My focus is where the salary-to-cost ratio, plus licensing ease and pipeline, combine to create outsized value for most civil engineers I speak with. Your family situation, specialization, and appetite for certain climates or commutes matter just as much.
How to run your own numbers before you relocate
Here is the simple rubric I give candidates.
Step 1: Pull wage data for your target market and level. Start with BLS medians for civil engineers, then adjust based on your years of experience and niche, and validate with real offers and recruiter intel.
Step 2: Adjust for cost of living using BEA RPP. If a state’s RPP is 94, think of that as prices roughly 6 percent lower than the national average. This gives a quick “real salary” approximation.
Step 3: Estimate taxes. Use the Tax Foundation comparison to understand top marginal rates and structures, especially if you are moving from a high-tax state to a flat or zero-tax state.
Step 4: Confirm pipeline. Scan state DOT plans, transit authority capital programs, water utility CIPs, and any mega-project news that will touch your discipline. For example, Texas UTP for highways, MSD Project Clear for St. Louis water, UDOT/UTA for FrontRunner, KDOT IKE for Kansas, NCDOT STIP for North Carolina, and HCFCD’s flood bond program in Houston are all public and updated regularly.
Step 5: Map licensing. If you hold a PE, create or update your NCEES Record so you can transmit it to your new board quickly. NCEES confirms every U.S. board accepts the Record for comity applications.
Offer calculus I use with candidates
When I model two offers across markets, I focus on three questions.
- Will your utilization be high and predictable for the next 18 to 24 months based on public plans and awarded contracts? A strong pipeline can outweigh a slightly lower base salary.
- Do bonuses and overtime actually hit in that office, or are they theoretical? I call recent hires or alumni to verify. The wage tables tell one story; realized compensation tells another.
- Can you grow into PM responsibilities faster in the new region? Several markets on this list promote quickly because managers are stretched thin. That has a compounding effect on lifetime earnings.
Final thought
Relocating is not only about more square footage or a lower grocery bill. It is about setting yourself up for steady, interesting work and a clear ladder into project leadership. The ten regions above check those boxes more often than not. Cross-check your own numbers with BLS wages, BEA RPP, state tax tables, and published capital programs. Then decide what balance of pay, projects, and place fits the next chapter of your career.
