What is the average Civil Engineer salary for San Diego, CA?
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As of May 01, 2026, the average Civil Engineer salary in San Diego, CA is $205,825. The chart below represents localized salaries for some of our most popular Civil Engineer job titles in San Diego, CA. Salaries can vary greatly depending on numerous factors, including position, location, years of experience, and level of education. Salary.com’s team of Certified Compensation Professionals analyzed survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at companies of all sizes and industries to compile a range of salaries for various Civil Engineer job titles in San Diego, CA. Apply your personal criteria to one of the job titles below to get your personalized salary estimate.
Civil Engineer Salaries in San Diego, CA
| Job Title | Salary | Hourly Rate | Location | Date Updated |
| Civil Engineer IV | $153,915 | $74.00 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineer V | $186,506 | $89.67 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineer VI | $227,532 | $109.39 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineer III | $131,332 | $63.14 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineer II | $109,004 | $52.41 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineer I | $90,439 | $43.48 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| SVP of Civil Engineering | $308,343 | $148.24 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineering Manager | $183,270 | $88.11 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineering Director | $243,876 | $117.25 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
| Civil Engineering Technician II | $69,573 | $33.45 | San Diego, CA | May 01, 2026 |
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. May also assist in inspecting aging infrastructure or overseeing improvement projects. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to a manager. Work is highly independent. May assume a team lead role for the work group. A specialist on complex technical and business matters. Typically requires 7+ years of related experience. Civil Engineer IV Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer IV, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer IV, Civil Engineer IV
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. May also assist in inspecting aging infrastructure or overseeing improvement projects. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to a manager. Works autonomously. Goals are generally communicated in "solution" or project goal terms. May provide a leadership role for the work group through knowledge in the area of specialization. Works on advanced, complex technical projects or business issues requiring state of the art technical or industry knowledge. Typically requires 10+ years of related experience. Civil Engineer V Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer V, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer V, Civil Engineer V
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. Leads inspections of aging or compromised structures. May oversee improvement projects. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to a manager. Typically requires 12+ years of related experience. Achievement and depth of knowledge of specialization or field is the main differentiator. Advisory role on complex and challenging projects and initiatives. Recognized for deep technical and industry knowledge and innovative thinking. Provides thought leadership and guidance to a functional area and the organization. Civil Engineer VI Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer VI, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer VI, Civil Engineer VI
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. May also assist in inspecting aging infrastructure or overseeing improvement projects. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. May require Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to a manager. Work is generally independent and collaborative in nature. Contributes to moderately complex aspects of a project. Typically requires 4-7 years of related experience. Civil Engineer III Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer III, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer III, Senior Civil Engineer, Civil Engineer III
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. May also assist in inspecting aging infrastructure or overseeing improvement projects. May participate in an engineering or professional development program. May be working towards obtaining a Professional Engineer License (PE). Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Typically reports to a manager. Occasionally directed in several aspects of the work. Gaining exposure to some of the complex tasks within the job function. Typically requires 2-4 years of related experience. Civil Engineer II Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer II, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer II, Intermediate Civil Engineer, Civil Engineer II
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Plans, designs, and supervises the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, or roads. Analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects including assessing and testing materials. Performs the necessary data collection and calculations in areas such as traffic forecasting, soil capacity, groundwater analysis, and structure design. Estimates costs including personnel and material needs, prepares proposals, and establishes completion dates. May also assist in inspecting aging infrastructure or overseeing improvement projects. May participate in an engineering or professional development program. May be working towards obtaining a Professional Engineer License (PE). Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Typically reports to a manager. Work is closely managed. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience. Civil Engineer I Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineer I, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineer I, Entry Civil Engineer, Entry Level Civil Engineer, Civil Engineer I
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Provides strategic leadership for civil engineering projects and teams. Ensures objectives and decision-making align with the overall organizational short-term and long-term goals. Oversees resource allocation and key staffing decisions. Assess and evaluates new business opportunities and makes recommendations about new business. Establishes rigorous policies and procedures to attain consistent regulatory compliance and to facilitate quality, safety, and productivity in operations. Has deep and broad engineering knowledge and experience. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to top management. Manages a business unit, division, or corporate function with major organizational impact. Establishes/implements overall direction and strategic initiatives for the given major function or line of business. Typically requires 10+ years of progressive leadership experience. Has extensive knowledge of the overall departmental function. SVP of Civil Engineering Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Chief of Civil/Construction/Structural Engineering, SVP of Civil Engineering
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Manages a team of civil engineers who design and develop construction projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, and roads. Reviews and analyzes the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects. Approves cost reports, equipment records, engineering reports, and project construction schedules. Ensures policies, practices and procedures are strictly observed. Assesses new potential projects and briefs civil engineers on new worksites and projects. Oversees inspections of aging or compromised structures and improvement projects and provides recommendations for next steps. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to a director. Manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs. True first level manager. Ensures that project/department milestones/goals are met and adhering to approved budgets. Has full authority for personnel actions. Typically requires 5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. 1-3 years supervisory experience may be required. Extensive knowledge of the function and department processes. Civil Engineering Manager Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineering Manager, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineering Manager, Civil Engineering Manager
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Directs a department of civil engineers and their projects. Oversees the design effectiveness and structural reliability of major projects. Approves overall schedules and ensures procedures are in place so that work is completed on time. Establishes quality control and safety policies. Manages new critical project partners and helps foster relationships between management and those new business prospects. Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering. Requires Professional Engineer License (PE). Typically reports to senior management. Manages a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function and develops budgets/policies/procedures to support the functional infrastructure. Typically requires 5+ years of managerial experience. Deep knowledge of the managed sub-function and solid knowledge of the overall departmental function. Civil Engineering Director Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Civil Infrastructure Engineering Director, Civil/Construction/Structural Engineering Director, Civil Engineering Director
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Assists civil engineers in the planning, designing, and building of infrastructure and development projects. Helps engineers in the planning of construction projects such as airports, bridges, channels, dams, railroads, and roads. Estimates workload to establish project deadlines and helps prepare proposals and cost estimates. May be responsible for recommending maintenance, repair, and preparing reports for review by an engineer. Requires a high school diploma. Typically reports to a supervisor. Works under moderate supervision. Gaining or has attained full proficiency in a specific area of discipline. Typically requires 1-3 years of related experience. Civil Engineering Technician II Salaries in San Diego, CAAlternate Job Titles:Intermediate Civil Engineering Technician, Civil Engineering Technician II