Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
SOC 17-3022 · 2024-2034
Apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities under the direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $85,827per year
- Projected openings
- 6,450
- Projected change
- +4.1%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $110,498 | 50 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $98,280 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $96,318 | 290 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $93,006 | 270 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $92,879 | 580 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $90,351 | 70 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $89,724 | 100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $87,271 | 1,090 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $85,389 | 30 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $84,906 | 400 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $81,671 | 700 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $81,281 | 70 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $80,983 | 650 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $79,904 | 30 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $78,199 | 60 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $77,511 | 210 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $77,408 | 110 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $77,192 | 50 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $74,594 | 40 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $73,053 | 80 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $69,735 | 380 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $66,243 | 50 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $65,565 | 130 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $64,199 | 50 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $62,740 | 70 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $56,221
- A quarter earn under
- $67,447
- Half earn under
- $85,827
- Three quarters earn under
- $104,639
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $114,261
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | $78,662 | 10,740 | +7% |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $89,836 | 3,330 | +5.4% |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $104,034 | 14,650 | +2.1% |
| Construction Managers | $135,394 | 47,800 | +10.9% |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | $80,502 | 2,120 | -10% |
| Mechanical Drafters | $84,820 | 3,040 | -5.1% |
Programs that train for this job — 7
Construction Primer + Construction 101
West Los Angeles College · Culver City · $2,540
General Contractor
Learnet Academy, Inc. · Los Angeles · $3,600
Plastics Engineering Technology Certificate
California State University Pomona - CPGE (Foundation) · Pomona · $1,425
Professional Certificate in Civil Sitework Construction Online
SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $3,735
Engineering Technology: Civil Design Drafting Technology Certificate
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $3,194
Solar Technician Certificate of Achievement
Palo Verde College · Blythe · $904
Construction Management Certificate Program
Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park · $2,700