Side-by-side distribution
Civil Engineer
$122,388
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.5%
- Live roles
- 282
Materials Engineer
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 48.4%
- Live roles
- 64
Highest-paying jobs
Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer (Contract)
Environmental Engineer, Civil
Senior Project Engineer - Civil Transportation Engineer
Structural/Civil Engineer - Natural Gas Power Projects
Wastewater Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer - Open Submission for Flexible, Hourly Opportunities
Senior Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Senior Civil Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Nuclear Materials Engineer
Materials & Processes Engineer
Senior Materials Engineer, Ceramic Fabrication
Senior Materials Engineer, Diagnostics
Senior Materials Engineer, Dielectrics
Staff Materials & Processes Engineer, Structural Composites
Materials Engineer
Materials Engineer
Research Engineer, Materials Science
Senior Materials Engineer (Metal 3D Printing)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
BKF
|
$122,500 | 15 |
Atwell, LLC
|
$100,500 | 12 |
|
LaBella Associates
|
$111,250 | 8 |
Olsson
|
$110,500 | 8 |
Woolpert
|
$113,850 | 7 |
Apex Companies
|
$130,000 | 4 |
|
Fluidstack
|
$179,000 | 3 |
CSG Consultants
|
$153,500 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
SpaceX
|
$108,750 | 6 |
|
Helion
|
$200,000 | 5 |
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 5 |
|
Relativity Space
|
$155,000 | 3 |
|
Neuralink
|
$116,900 | 2 |
|
Archer
|
$232,500 | 1 |
| DE DeepMind | $171,500 | 1 |
|
Freeform
|
$162,500 | 1 |
Civil Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $179,000 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $166,750 | 6 |
| New York | $140,000 | 13 |
| Denver | $117,500 | 11 |
Materials Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $132,500 | 3 |
Civil Engineer vs Materials Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Civil Engineer is $122,388 per year (typically $101,213–$150,000), versus $155,000 for Materials Engineer ($108,750–$170,750). That puts Materials Engineer about 27% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Civil Engineer and Materials Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.