Civil Engineers pay range in Riverside
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,390 a year or less, while the top 10% make $168,820 or more. The middle half of civil engineers in Riverside earn between $87,900 and $136,810.
- $75K10th
- $88K25th
- $115KMedian
- $137K75th
- $169K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $117,990 | $9,832 | $56.73 |
| Median | $115,120 | $9,593 | $55.35 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $87,900 | $7,325 | $42.26 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $136,810 | $11,401 | $65.77 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Civil Engineers salary after taxes in Riverside
On the average salary of $117,990, a single filer in Riverside takes home about $84,955 a year, or $7,080 a month and $3,267 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Riverside a good place for civil engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Riverside area are 6% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 106.4), so the average $117,990 buys what about $110,849 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Riverside ($48,400). A typical home costs $585,378, or 5.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Civil Engineers salary in other California cities
Riverside ranks 14th of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($137,910).
- San Jose$137,910
- San Francisco$136,350
- Napa$130,620
- Sacramento$129,650
- Redding$124,340
- Santa Rosa$122,750
- Vallejo$122,290
- Santa Maria$121,890
- Salinas$120,250
- Riverside$117,990
Highest-paying cities for civil engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($137,910).
- San Jose, CA$137,910
- San Francisco, CA$136,350
- Napa, CA$130,620
- Sacramento, CA$129,650
- Redding, CA$124,340
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Civil Engineers salary in Riverside: questions
How much do civil engineers make an hour in Riverside?
$56.73 an hour on average, and $55.35 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level civil engineers salary in Riverside?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,390 a year and the 25th percentile is $87,900, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the civil engineers take-home pay in Riverside?
About $84,955 a year ($7,080 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $117,990. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do civil engineers earn more in Riverside than elsewhere?
The average here is 8% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($109,384).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2051; area Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (40140). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.2%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.87, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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