Side-by-side distribution
Civil Engineer
$107,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35.8%
- Live roles
- 851
Mechanical Engineer
$135,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 43.7%
- Live roles
- 3,564
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Civil Engineer - Water/Sewer/Gas - Rail and Transit
Resident Engineer - Heavy Civil - Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project
Principal Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer
Senior Supervising Engineer/Civil Design Discipline Lead – Water & Wastewater
Environmental Engineer, Civil
Civil/Structural Engineer
Wastewater Civil Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer - Data Center Cooling
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems
Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics
Data Center Mechanical Engineer
Distinguished Technologist Mechanical Engineer (Network Infrastructure)
Senior Mechanical Controls Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer, Motor Design & Prototyping
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| PA Parsons | $120,375 | 34 |
Wilson & Company
|
$107,000 | 23 |
| SE SEH | $120,000 | 17 |
LaBella Associates
|
$102,500 | 13 |
HNTB
|
$65,728 | 13 |
AtkinsRéalis
|
$89,500 | 12 |
BKF
|
$119,750 | 10 |
Atwell, LLC
|
$102,500 | 10 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$121,650 | 107 |
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 89 |
Blue Origin
|
$145,228 | 54 |
Applied Materials
|
$147,500 | 48 |
Mindrift
|
$76,960 | 46 |
KLA
|
$159,050 | 34 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$119,627 | 34 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 28 |
Civil Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $145,850 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $142,500 | 7 |
| Seattle | $119,977 | 4 |
| New York | $119,200 | 27 |
| San Francisco | $117,000 | 5 |
| Denver | $107,500 | 17 |
| Chicago | $98,000 | 11 |
| Boston | $87,450 | 11 |
Mechanical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $162,275 | 74 |
| Austin | $158,000 | 23 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 70 |
| Boston | $149,250 | 21 |
| Seattle | $145,228 | 64 |
| Denver | $125,500 | 35 |
| New York | $125,000 | 33 |
| Chicago | $119,437 | 18 |
| Atlanta | $111,000 | 10 |
| London | $74,880 | 5 |
Civil Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Civil Engineer is $107,250 per year (typically $87,463–$131,097), versus $135,000 for Mechanical Engineer ($107,500–$162,581). That puts Mechanical Engineer about 26% 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.