Side-by-side distribution
Civil Engineer
$122,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.3%
- Live roles
- 272
Mechanical Engineer
$150,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 47%
- Live roles
- 1,335
Highest-paying jobs
Civil Engineer, Energy Storage Project Engineering
Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Civil Engineer
Environmental Engineer, Civil
Structural/Civil Engineer - Natural Gas Power Projects
Wastewater Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer - Open Submission for Flexible, Hourly Opportunities
Senior Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Senior Civil Engineer
Civil Development Engineer, Renewable Energy
Highest-paying jobs
Data Center Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Commissioning Project Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer, Fluid Systems
Mechanical Engineer, Robotics Hardware
Senior Mechanical engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Space Special Programs
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Factory Automation
Principal Mechanical Design & Analysis Engineer, Tooling
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
LaBella Associates
|
$125,000 | 11 |
BKF
|
$117,000 | 11 |
Atwell, LLC
|
$97,500 | 9 |
Olsson
|
$110,500 | 8 |
Woolpert
|
$126,500 | 5 |
Apex Companies
|
$130,000 | 4 |
|
Fluidstack
|
$185,000 | 3 |
CSG Consultants
|
$153,500 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 68 |
SpaceX
|
$111,875 | 28 |
|
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 22 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$132,627 | 20 |
Vast
|
$147,213 | 16 |
| DG DLR Group | $114,565 | 16 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$139,750 | 14 |
Antares
|
$150,000 | 11 |
Civil Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $182,000 | 4 |
| New York | $132,500 | 12 |
| San Francisco | $124,500 | 6 |
| Denver | $119,000 | 9 |
| Chicago | $113,850 | 3 |
Mechanical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $188,500 | 20 |
| San Francisco | $165,000 | 57 |
| Austin | $165,000 | 16 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 55 |
| New York | $131,750 | 26 |
| Boston | $128,692 | 7 |
| Denver | $125,000 | 11 |
| Chicago | $114,565 | 10 |
| Atlanta | $102,500 | 4 |
Civil Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Civil Engineer is $122,500 per year (typically $101,000–$143,900), versus $150,000 for Mechanical Engineer ($120,000–$172,100). That puts Mechanical Engineer about 22% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Civil Engineer and Mechanical 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.