Civil Engineers salary in Chattanooga, TN
Median pay for civil engineers in Chattanooga, TN: $94,080/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $63,830 – $140,710 · about 450 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$5,450 (+6%).
What it's really worth in Chattanooga
With Chattanooga's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $94,080 has the buying power of about $101,873 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $65,387 · median home $326,370 · median rent $1,530/mo.
How Chattanooga ranks for this job
On raw pay, Chattanooga, TN is 65th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Chattanooga's cost of living is applied, it ranks 31st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga
A median home in Chattanooga, TN costs $326,370 — about 3.5× 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 $1,530/mo works out at 20% 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 Chattanooga.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Chattanooga | Rent vs Chattanooga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +34% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +30% | 2.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +27% | 2.4× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +17% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in TN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Chattanooga | Rent vs Chattanooga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, TN | $97,660 | +4% | 1.2× |
| Clarksville, TN | $87,530 | −7% | 0.9× |
| Memphis, TN | $86,650 | −8% | 0.9× |
| Knoxville, TN | $86,180 | −8% | 1.2× |
Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Chattanooga
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Volkswagen Group of America · Manufacturing
- McKee Foods · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Chattanooga
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.