Civil Engineers salary in Davenport, IA
Median pay for civil engineers in Davenport, IA: $89,650/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $61,820 – $129,920 · about 440 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$1,020 (+1%).
What it's really worth in Davenport
With Davenport's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $89,650 has the buying power of about $100,546 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $68,395 · median home $195,380 · median rent $1,021/mo.
How Davenport ranks for this job
On raw pay, Davenport, IA is 85th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Davenport's cost of living is applied, it ranks 37th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Davenport 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 Davenport
A median home in Davenport, IA costs $195,380 — about 2.2× 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 $1,021/mo works out at 14% 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 Davenport.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Davenport | Rent vs Davenport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +40% | 2.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +37% | 3.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +33% | 3.6× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +23% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in IA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Davenport | Rent vs Davenport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | $98,550 | +10% | 1.3× |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $94,170 | +5% | 1.2× |
Staying in IA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Davenport
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- John Deere · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Davenport
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.