Civil Engineers salary in Santa Rosa, CA
Median pay for civil engineers in Santa Rosa, CA: $105,980/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $77,920 – $161,380 · about 500 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$17,350 (+20%).
What it's really worth in Santa Rosa
With Santa Rosa's cost of living at 110 (US=100), that $105,980 has the buying power of about $96,124 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $99,266 · median home $796,761 · median rent $2,637/mo.
How Santa Rosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Santa Rosa, CA is 9th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Santa Rosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 50th.
The headline number flatters Santa Rosa. 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 Santa Rosa
A median home in Santa Rosa, CA costs $796,761 — about 7.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,637/mo works out at 30% 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 Santa Rosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Santa Rosa | Rent vs Santa Rosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +19% | 0.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +16% | 1.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +13% | 1.4× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +4% | 0.5× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Santa Rosa | Rent vs Santa Rosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +19% | 0.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +16% | 1.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +13% | 1.4× |
| Fresno, CA | $108,570 | +2% | 0.8× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Santa Rosa
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Jackson Family Wines · Manufacturing
- County of Sonoma · Government
- Vintage Wine Estates · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Santa Rosa
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.