Civil Engineers pay range in Knoxville
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $63,860 a year or less, while the top 10% make $160,350 or more. The middle half of civil engineers in Knoxville earn between $76,230 and $127,540.
- $64K10th
- $76K25th
- $96KMedian
- $128K75th
- $160K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $107,580 | $8,965 | $51.72 |
| Median | $96,320 | $8,027 | $46.31 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $76,230 | $6,352 | $36.65 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $127,540 | $10,628 | $61.32 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Civil Engineers salary after taxes in Knoxville
On the average salary of $107,580, a single filer in Knoxville takes home about $84,513 a year, or $7,043 a month and $3,250 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
Is Knoxville a good place for civil engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Knoxville area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.6), so the average $107,580 buys what about $116,216 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Knoxville ($47,080). A typical home costs $367,158, or 3.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Civil Engineers salary in other Tennessee cities
Knoxville ranks 2nd of 8 Tennessee metro areas for this job; Chattanooga pays the most ($109,060).
- Chattanooga$109,060
- Knoxville$107,580
- Nashville$104,980
- Clarksville$101,460
- Memphis$100,460
- Jackson$98,380
- Johnson City$97,110
- Kingsport$94,030
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 Knoxville: questions
How much do civil engineers make an hour in Knoxville?
$51.72 an hour on average, and $46.31 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level civil engineers salary in Knoxville?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $63,860 a year and the 25th percentile is $76,230, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the civil engineers take-home pay in Knoxville?
About $84,513 a year ($7,043 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $107,580. Tennessee has no state income tax.
Do civil engineers earn more in Knoxville than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as 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 Knoxville, TN (28940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.9%.
- 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 no state income tax.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.10, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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