### Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians Summary
                        
            
                                                        
                                                                
                        
            
            
            
                            
                                                
                                                
                                                
                                                
            									
							
				                                                
                                            




            			civil engineering technicians imageCivil engineering technicians help with residential development, and work under civil engineers.							
						Quick Facts:     Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians2023     Median Pay
            						$60,700     per year
										$29.18     per hourTypical Entry-Level Education
                                    Associate's degreeWork Experience in a Related Occupation
                                    NoneOn-the-job Training
                                    NoneNumber of Jobs, 2022
                                    64,800Job Outlook, 2022-32
                                    1% (Little or no change)Employment Change, 2022-32
                                    600What Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians Do
                                                
                        
                        
Civil engineering technologists and technicians help civil engineers plan, design, and build infrastructure and development projects.
            
                        Work Environment
                        
Civil engineering technologists and technicians work in offices, helping civil engineers plan and design projects. They also visit construction jobsites to collect or test materials or to observe activities as a project inspector.
            
                                                How to Become a Civil Engineering Technologist or Technician
                                                
                        
An associate’s degree, preferably in civil engineering technology, is typically required to enter the occupation.
            
                        Pay
                        												                            																				    														The median annual wage for civil engineering technologists and technicians was $60,700 in May 2023.									                                					
						
            
                        Job Outlook
                        						
												Employment							of civil engineering technologists and technicians is projected to show little or no change							 from 2022 to 2032.
						Despite  limited  employment growth, about 5,900 openings for civil engineering technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
            			
            			 Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
						State & Area Data
                       Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for civil engineering technologists and technicians.
            
            
						
                        Similar Occupations
                        
                                                    Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of civil engineering technologists and technicians with similar occupations.
            
            
                        More Information, Including Links to O*NET
                        
                                               
                        Learn more about civil engineering technologists and technicians by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
 What Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians Do 
            

			Civil engineering techniciansCivil engineering technicians confer with project supervisors to determine details of a project.			
Civil engineering technologists and technicians help civil engineers plan, design, and build highways, bridges, utilities, and other infrastructure projects. They also help to plan, design, and build commercial, industrial, residential, and land development projects.
Duties
Civil engineering technologists and technicians typically do the following:
Read and review project drawings and plans to determine the sizes of structures
Confer with engineers to prepare plans
Develop plans and estimate costs for constructing systems and operating facilities
Use computer aided design (CAD) software to draft project drawings
Conduct field surveys to collect data on site conditions and inspect structures
Test appropriateness of construction materials and soil samples
Observe project sites to ensure that construction conforms to design specifications and applicable codes
Prepare reports and document project activities and data
Set up and help maintain project files and recordsCivil engineering technicians typically install, troubleshoot, and maintain designs created by engineers. They may work under the direction of engineers or engineering technologists.
Civil engineering technologists typically help licensed engineers improve designs or incorporate new technology. They may be team leaders, instructing civil engineering technicians on installing equipment, systems, or structures.
These technologists and technicians observe progress on a jobsite, collect data, and complete reports to document project activities. Because they are not licensed, civil engineering technologists and technicians cannot approve designs or supervise the overall project.
In addition, civil engineering technologists and technicians sometimes estimate construction costs, develop specifications, and prepare drawings. They also may set up and monitor various instruments for traffic studies. Their duties often require use of software to design projects, collect and analyze data, prepare reports, and manage files.
 Work Environment
			Civil engineering techniciansCivil engineering technicians work on-site to help civil engineers in implementing project plans correctly.			

	    
				
	
	
	
	
	
	
	    					 Civil engineering technologists and technicians held about 64,800 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of civil engineering technologists and technicians were as follows:
        Engineering services
                43%State government, excluding education and hospitals
                23Local government, excluding education and hospitals
                20Construction
                2Civil engineering technologists and technicians work in offices, helping civil engineers plan and design projects. They also visit construction jobsites to collect or test materials or to observe activities as a project inspector. They may work at several sites, using cars or trucks as a mobile office.
Civil engineering technologists and technicians frequently work on teams with civil engineers, surveyors and surveying technicians, construction workers, and others involved with projects.
Work Schedules
Civil engineering technologists and technicians usually work full time. When working at construction sites, their schedules may be subject to factors that affect construction, such as weather. Their schedules also may be tied to those of the construction projects they are involved with.
 How to Become a Civil Engineering Technologist or Technician

			Civil engineering techniciansCivil engineering technicians prepare reports and document project activities and data.			
An associate’s degree, preferably in civil engineering technology, is typically required to enter the occupation.
Education
Prospective civil engineering technologists and technicians should take courses in science and math, such as chemistry, physics, geometry, and trigonometry.
Employers may prefer to hire engineering technologists and technicians who have an associate’s degree from a program accredited by ABET, although a degree is not always required. Engineering technology programs also are available at technical or vocational schools that award a postgraduate certificate or diploma.
Degree and nondegree programs may include coursework in subjects such as engineering, design, and sciences.
Some employers require a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology for civil engineering technologists.
Other Experience
Some civil engineering technologists and technicians enter the occupation after gaining work experience in a related occupation, particularly as drafters or CAD operators. Drafters or CAD operators working for an engineering firm may advance to civil engineering technologist or technician positions as their knowledge of design and construction increases.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Certification is not required to enter this occupation, but it may help technologists and technicians develop in their careers. For example, the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) oversees certification for civil engineering technicians who pass an exam and provide supporting documentation. NICET requires technicians to update their skills and knowledge through a recertification process that encourages continuing professional development.
Advancement
Civil engineering technologists and technicians may advance in their careers by learning to design systems for a variety of projects, such as storm sewers, and to become skilled at reading graphical drawings of proposed projects.
Technicians who obtain appropriate education or certification may advance to become technologists.
Important Qualities
***Critical-thinking skills.*** Civil engineering technologists and technicians carry out project plans and designs that engineers have approved. They must be able to understand and interpret the reports and documents describing these projects.
***Decision-making skills.*** Civil engineering technologists and technicians must be able to discern which information is most important and which actions will help keep a project on schedule.
***Math skills.*** Civil engineering technologists and technicians use math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting.
***Observational skills.*** Civil engineering technologists and technicians sometimes visit jobsites to assess a project and report back to the engineer.
***Problem-solving skills.*** As assistants to civil engineers, these technologists and technicians must be able to help engineers identify problems and design projects to solve them.
***Writing skills.*** Civil engineering technologists and technicians must be able to prepare reports that are well organized and clearly convey information.
 Pay

			



	
 
                                                     
            
    
                Civil Engineering Technologists and TechniciansMedian annual wages, May 2023Drafters, engineering technicians, and mapping technicians$63,100  Civil engineering technologists and technicians$60,700  Total, all occupations$48,060Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
 

	
	



		
	
	
	
The median annual wage for civil engineering technologists and technicians was $60,700 in May 2023. 


The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,120, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $91,010.





		
	    					 In May 2023, the median annual wages for civil engineering technologists and technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:	
        Local government, excluding education and hospitals
                $66,190Engineering services
                60,940Construction
                59,920State government, excluding education and hospitals
                53,370Civil engineering technologists and technicians usually work full time. When working at construction sites, their schedules may be subject to factors that affect construction, such as weather. Their schedules also may be tied to those of the construction projects they are involved with.
 Job Outlook

   
        
    
          
        
    
               Civil Engineering Technologists and TechniciansPercent change in employment, projected 2022-32Total, all occupations3%  Civil engineering technologists and technicians1%  Drafters, engineering technicians, and mapping technicians1%Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
            
            
			 
	
	
	

			Employment				of civil engineering technologists and technicians is projected to show little or no change				 from 2022 to 2032.
			
			Despite  limited  employment growth, about 5,900 openings for civil engineering technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
			
			 Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
			Employment
	
			
The need to preserve, repair, and upgrade the country’s infrastructure continues to increase. Bridges, roads, levees, airports, and dams will need to be rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced. In addition, more waste treatment plants will be needed to help clean the nation’s waterways, and water systems must be maintained to reduce or eliminate loss of potable water. Civil engineers plan, design, and oversee this work, and civil engineering technologists and technicians will be needed to assist the engineers in these projects.
Civil engineering technologists and technicians also will find work assisting civil engineers with renewable-energy projects. For example, these technologists and technicians may assist in developing a wind farm by helping engineers minimize project costs associated with the sizeable dimensions and weight of wind turbines.
However, employment in this occupation may be limited as improved drafting tools, such as computer-aided design (CAD) software, increase worker productivity.
			

                        Employment projections data for     civil engineering technologists and technicians, 2022-32
                Occupational Title
                        SOC Code
                        Employment, 2022
                        Projected Employment, 2032
                        Change, 2022-32
                        Employment by IndustryPercent
                        NumericSOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program**Civil engineering technologists and technicians**
			17-3022
			64,800
			65,400
			1
			600
			Get data
 State & Area Data **Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area. Civil engineering technologists and technicians **Projections Central** Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved. **CareerOneStop** CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.
 Similar Occupations This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of civil engineering technologists and technicians. Occupation
                Job Duties
                ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION
                2023     MEDIAN PAY**Civil Engineers**
            Civil engineers plan, design, and supervise the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects.
            Bachelor's degree
            $95,890**Drafters**
            Drafters use software to convert the designs of engineers and architects into technical drawings.
            Associate's degree
            $62,530**Surveying and Mapping Technicians**
            Surveying and mapping technicians collect data and make maps of the Earth's surface.
            High school diploma or equivalent
            $48,940**Surveyors**
            Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries.
            Bachelor's degree
            $68,540
 Contacts for More Information
								
For more information about summer apprenticeships in civil engineering, visit
Pathways to Science
For more information about accredited programs, visit
ABET
For more information about certification, visit
National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET)

                                                
                                                        
                                                                                                    O*NET
                                        Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
 Suggested citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.  Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians, 
        	 at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineering-technicians.htm (visited *May 21, 2024*).
 **Last Modified Date:**
                        Wednesday, April 17, 2024


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