Occupation Summary

Civil Engineers

O*NET 17-2051.00

Description:

Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.

Annual Wages:
$95,737.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 15.49%.
Education Level:
Bachelor's Degree. According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
STEM

  1. Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
  2. Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
  3. Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
  4. Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
  5. Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.
  6. Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.
  7. Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
  8. Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
  9. Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
  10. Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites.
  11. Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
  12. Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects.
  13. Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
  14. Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
  15. Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.
  16. Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Civil Engineers employed Annual Growth Rate
Architectural, engineering, and related services 49.8 0.50
Nonresidential building construction 6.1 0.58


Labor Market Information


2023 Statewide average hourly wage $46.03
2023 National average hourly wage $48.64
2022 National employment 326,300
2022 Texas employment 28,320
Texas projected employment by 2032 32,708
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 2,223




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
94.00%
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
93.40%
Building and Construction
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
90.60%
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
89.60%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
80.00%
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
74.20%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
72.40%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
68.60%
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
64.80%
Law and Government
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
64.80%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
80.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
77.60%
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
77.60%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
77.60%
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
77.60%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
77.60%
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
75.00%
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
75.00%
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
75.00%
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
72.40%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
80.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
80.00%
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
80.00%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
80.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
80.00%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
80.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
80.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
77.60%
Mathematical Reasoning
The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
77.60%
Number Facility
The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
75.00%


  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
    -- Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    -- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Other Activities


  • Independence
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
  • Working Conditions
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.



Tools

Anemometers: Anemometers;

Compasses: Compasses; Dividers;

Desktop computers: Desktop computers;

Digital cameras: Digital cameras;

Distance meters: Rhodes arcs; Electronic distance measuring devices;

Electronic counters: Traffic counters;

Global positioning system GPS receiver: Global positioning system GPS receivers;

Level sensors or transmitters: Transit levels;

Levels: Laser levels; Precision levels;

Map measurers: Planimeters;

Measuring rods: Surveying rods;

Measuring wheels for distance: Surveying wheels;

Microfiche or microfilm viewers: Microfilm readers;

Notebook computers: Laptop computers;

Photocopiers: Blueprint copiers;

Protractors: Protractors;

Rulers: Steel rules;

Scales: Rolling scales; Drafting scales;

Speed sensors: Radar guns;

Tape measures: Measuring tapes;

Theodolites: Theodolites; Total stations;

Thickness measuring devices: Thickness gauges;

Triangles: Drafting triangles;

Two way radios: Two way radios;


Technology

Analytical or scientific software: Dassault Systemes Abaqus; Finite element analysis FEA software; HEC-1; HEC-HMS; Hydraulic analysis software; Hydraulic modeling software; MAYA Nastran; Minitab; Procore software; The MathWorks MATLAB; Trimble Geomatics Office; WinTR-55;

Business intelligence and data analysis software: Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition;

Calendar and scheduling software: Scheduling software;

Computer aided design CAD software: Stormwater hydrology software; Mathsoft Mathcad; Trimble Terramodel; PTC Creo Parametric; Road design software; GT STRUDL; HydroCAD Software Solutions HydroCAD Stormwater Modeling System; Computer aided design and drafting software CADD; Dassault Systemes CATIA; Dassault Systemes SolidWorks; Eagle Point Site Design; Autodesk AutoCAD; Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D; Autodesk Land Desktop; Autodesk Revit; Bentley Haestad Methods CivilStorm; Bentley InRoads Suite; Bentley MicroStation; Bentley STAAD; Bridge design software;

Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access;

Development environment software: Formula translation/translator FORTRAN; C; National Instruments LabVIEW; Microsoft Visual Basic; Verilog;

Document management software: Adobe Acrobat;

Electronic mail software: Email software; Microsoft Outlook; Microsoft Exchange;

Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML;

Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Microsoft Dynamics; Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; SAP software;

File versioning software: Apache Subversion SVN;

Geographic information system: Geographic information system GIS software; ESRI ArcGIS software; ESRI ArcInfo; ESRI ArcView;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Bentley GeoPak Bridge; Graphics software; Trimble SketchUp Pro; SmugMug Flickr;

Industrial control software: Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software;

Internet browser software: Web browser software; Microsoft Internet Explorer;

Map creation software: Intergraph MGE; Cartography software;

Object or component oriented development software: Microsoft ActiveX;

Office suite software: Corel WordPerfect Office Suite; Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Shell script;

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint;

Project management software: Microsoft Project; Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management; The Gordian Group PROGEN Online; Cost estimating software;

Spreadsheet software: Spreadsheet software; Microsoft Excel;

Word processing software: Microsoft Word;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Civil Engineers include:
  • 17-1011.00 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
  • 17-3011.00 Architectural and Civil Drafters
  • 11-9041.00 Architectural and Engineering Managers
  • 17-3022.00 Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
  • 47-4011.00 Construction and Building Inspectors
  • 11-9021.00 Construction Managers
  • 17-2081.00 Environmental Engineers
  • 17-2151.00 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
  • 17-2051.01 Transportation Engineers
  • 17-2051.02 Water/Wastewater Engineers


Sources of Additional Information
  • For information about general engineering education and career resources, visit: American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
  • Technology Student Association (TSA)
  • For more information about licensure, visit: National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
  • National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
  • For information about accredited programs in civil engineering and civil engineering technology, visit: ABET
  • For more information about civil engineers, visit: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
  • Occupational Requirements Survey

  • For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see
  • Civil engineers (PDF)
  • CareerOneStop

  • For a career video on civil engineers, visit: Civil Engineers
  • Civil Engineers
  • Transportation Engineers
  • Water/Wastewater Engineers

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.