Civil Engineers salary in Philadelphia, PA

Median pay for civil engineers in Philadelphia, PA: $96,240/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $65,190 – $138,590 · about 5,910 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$7,610 (+9%).

What it's really worth in Philadelphia

With Philadelphia's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $96,240 has the buying power of about $94,018 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $85,555 · median home $390,463 · median rent $1,914/mo.

Full Philadelphia cost of living & taxes →

How Philadelphia ranks for this job

On raw pay, Philadelphia, PA is 52nd of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Philadelphia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 71st.

The headline number flatters Philadelphia. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, civil engineers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Philadelphia

A median home in Philadelphia, PA costs $390,463 — about 4.1× 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 $1,914/mo works out at 24% 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 Philadelphia.

Metro	Median pay	vs Philadelphia	Rent vs Philadelphia
Sacramento, CA	$125,760	+31%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$122,670	+27%	1.7×
San Jose, CA	$119,430	+24%	1.9×
Baton Rouge, LA	$110,110	+14%	0.7×

Same job elsewhere in PA

Metro	Median pay	vs Philadelphia	Rent vs Philadelphia
Pittsburgh, PA	$97,560	+1%	0.8×
Reading, PA	$97,120	+1%	0.8×
Allentown, PA	$90,810	−6%	1×
Harrisburg, PA	$89,560	−7%	0.8×

Staying in PA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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