Civil Engineers salary in Winston-Salem, NC
Median pay for civil engineers in Winston-Salem, NC: $80,430/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $58,340 – $134,400 · about 260 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($88,630) by −$8,200 (-9%).
What it's really worth in Winston-Salem
With Winston-Salem's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $80,430 has the buying power of about $87,804 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $60,145 · median home $283,871 · median rent $1,546/mo.
How Winston-Salem ranks for this job
On raw pay, Winston-Salem, NC is 151st of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Winston-Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 131st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem
A median home in Winston-Salem, NC costs $283,871 — 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 $1,546/mo works out at 23% 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 Winston-Salem.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +56% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +53% | 2.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +48% | 2.3× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +37% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $94,750 | +18% | 1.1× |
| Wilmington, NC | $93,870 | +17% | 1.1× |
| Asheville, NC | $89,110 | +11% | 1.1× |
| Raleigh, NC | $89,110 | +11% | 1.1× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Winston-Salem
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- HanesBrands · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Winston-Salem
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.