Civil Engineers salary in Charleston, WV
Median pay for civil engineers in Charleston, WV: $85,540/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $49,980 – $125,510 · about 360 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($88,630) by −$3,090 (-3%).
What it's really worth in Charleston
With Charleston's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $85,540 has the buying power of about $96,050 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $54,473 · median home $148,817 · median rent $1,265/mo.
How Charleston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Charleston, WV is 111th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Charleston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 51st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Charleston is one of the places where civil engineers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Charleston
A median home in Charleston, WV costs $148,817 — about 1.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,265/mo works out at 18% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where civil engineers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Charleston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +47% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +43% | 2.6× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +40% | 2.9× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +29% | 1.1× |
Same job elsewhere in WV
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington, WV | $91,100 | +6% | 0.9× |
Staying in WV keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Charleston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- West Virginia-American Water Company · Energy
- State of West Virginia · Government
- Charleston Stamping and Manufacturing · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Charleston
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.