Civil Engineers: H-1B wage levels by area (2026-27)
For Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051), the salary that reaches H-1B wage Level II ranges from $56,389 in San Juan, PR to $115,336 in San Francisco, CA among the 60 areas with the most jobs in the occupation (Department of Labor wage file for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, read on 7 November 2026). Level II gives 2 lottery entries, Level IV gives 4.
US mean wage (OEWS May 2025): $108,670
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor (OFLC), wage data file 2026-27 (OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip, updated 1 July 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Read on 7 November 2026. U.S. government data, public domain.
Not legal or immigration advice. This page reports the Department of Labor wage file and the DHS rule as we read them. The level on a registration also depends on the job duties, the SOC code and the place of work chosen for the job, and the employer attests to it. Check with USCIS and the Department of Labor, and ask an immigration lawyer about your own case.
Wage levels in the 60 areas with the most jobs
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 16,340 | $77,979 | $98,946 | $119,912 | $140,878 | 1 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 15,590 | $82,014 | $102,086 | $122,138 | $142,210 | 1 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 12,140 | $71,386 | $91,291 | $111,176 | $131,082 | 1 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 10,990 | $94,536 | $115,336 | $136,157 | $156,957 | 1 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 9,760 | $73,424 | $89,898 | $106,371 | $122,845 | 1 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 9,130 | $79,560 | $98,114 | $116,646 | $135,200 | 1 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 8,470 | $78,083 | $94,432 | $110,781 | $127,130 | 1 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 8,010 | $67,517 | $84,718 | $101,899 | $119,101 | 1 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 7,970 | $81,661 | $100,235 | $118,830 | $137,405 | 1 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 7,680 | $90,230 | $105,789 | $121,368 | $136,926 | 1 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 6,850 | $55,973 | $77,605 | $99,237 | $120,869 | 1 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 6,270 | $69,493 | $85,051 | $100,589 | $116,147 | 1 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 6,160 | $75,670 | $90,667 | $105,664 | $120,661 | 1 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 5,620 | $82,285 | $100,402 | $118,518 | $136,635 | 1 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 5,590 | $87,194 | $108,306 | $129,438 | $150,550 | 1 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 4,940 | $70,491 | $88,421 | $106,330 | $124,259 | 1 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 4,690 | $67,850 | $82,763 | $97,698 | $112,611 | 1 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 4,640 | $73,944 | $90,750 | $107,536 | $124,342 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 4,210 | $70,512 | $86,528 | $102,565 | $118,581 | 1 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 4,190 | $69,555 | $88,234 | $106,912 | $125,590 | 1 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 4,180 | $80,600 | $99,445 | $118,269 | $137,114 | 1 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3,870 | $68,349 | $81,432 | $94,515 | $107,598 | 1 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 3,730 | $73,923 | $90,730 | $107,515 | $124,322 | 1 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 3,720 | $71,552 | $88,858 | $106,163 | $123,469 | 1 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,510 | $78,707 | $98,259 | $117,790 | $137,342 | 1 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 3,350 | $79,747 | $96,034 | $112,320 | $128,606 | 1 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 3,230 | $70,990 | $87,464 | $103,917 | $120,390 | 1 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 3,170 | $90,376 | $114,026 | $137,675 | $161,325 | 1 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 3,150 | $70,803 | $85,883 | $100,942 | $116,022 | 1 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 2,890 | $69,014 | $86,070 | $103,126 | $120,182 | 1 |
| Columbus, OH | 2,630 | $70,824 | $88,650 | $106,496 | $124,322 | 1 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2,540 | $77,147 | $92,061 | $106,995 | $121,909 | 1 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 2,420 | $77,542 | $94,682 | $111,821 | $128,960 | 1 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 2,330 | $71,947 | $85,426 | $98,925 | $112,403 | 1 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 2,300 | $68,162 | $82,098 | $96,034 | $109,970 | 1 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 2,240 | $79,747 | $98,030 | $116,314 | $134,597 | 1 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2,230 | $66,352 | $81,182 | $96,034 | $110,864 | 1 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 2,110 | $67,205 | $83,678 | $100,131 | $116,605 | 1 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 2,090 | $71,261 | $88,046 | $104,811 | $121,597 | 1 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 2,000 | $77,917 | $94,224 | $110,552 | $126,859 | 1 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 2,000 | $73,341 | $88,670 | $103,979 | $119,309 | 1 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 1,990 | $69,638 | $84,053 | $98,446 | $112,861 | 1 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 1,900 | $71,198 | $89,627 | $108,056 | $126,485 | 1 |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,770 | $68,890 | $83,762 | $98,613 | $113,485 | 1 |
| Richmond, VA | 1,680 | $73,674 | $86,549 | $99,403 | $112,278 | 1 |
| Boise City, ID | 1,610 | $73,798 | $87,526 | $101,254 | $114,982 | 1 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 1,550 | $74,318 | $91,728 | $109,138 | $126,547 | 1 |
| Madison, WI | 1,530 | $74,069 | $88,109 | $102,128 | $116,168 | 1 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 1,470 | $77,085 | $93,226 | $109,366 | $125,507 | 1 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | 1,440 | $45,011 | $56,389 | $67,787 | $79,165 | 1 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 1,370 | $70,470 | $84,365 | $98,238 | $112,133 | 1 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 1,310 | $71,011 | $90,938 | $110,885 | $130,811 | 1 |
| Fresno, CA | 1,250 | $78,478 | $97,781 | $117,062 | $136,365 | 1 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 1,240 | $74,173 | $90,646 | $107,099 | $123,573 | 1 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 1,170 | $70,512 | $89,877 | $109,221 | $128,586 | 1 |
| Ogden, UT | 1,150 | $66,768 | $85,405 | $104,042 | $122,678 | 1 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1,140 | $77,147 | $95,867 | $114,608 | $133,328 | 1 |
| Anchorage, AK | 1,110 | $83,346 | $99,840 | $116,355 | $132,850 | 1 |
| Knoxville, TN | 1,110 | $68,578 | $87,984 | $107,390 | $126,797 | 1 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 1,100 | $70,782 | $88,317 | $105,830 | $123,365 | 1 |
Yearly salary from which each level starts. Jobs: people employed in the occupation in the area (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Geo level 1 = wage computed from the area itself; 2 = area plus contiguous areas; 3 = statewide; 4 = national (OFLC). Tap a column heading to sort.
The US mean wage for civil engineers is $108,670 (median $100,840). In 2 of these 60 areas Level II starts above the US mean.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor (OFLC), wage data file 2026-27 (OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip, updated 1 July 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Read on 7 November 2026. U.S. government data, public domain.
Area pages
- Civil Engineers in Los Angeles, CA: Level II from $98,946
- Civil Engineers in New York, NY: Level II from $102,086
- Civil Engineers in Houston, TX: Level II from $91,291
- Civil Engineers in San Francisco, CA: Level II from $115,336
- Civil Engineers in Chicago, IL: Level II from $89,898
- Civil Engineers in Denver, CO: Level II from $98,114
- Civil Engineers in Washington, DC: Level II from $94,432
- Civil Engineers in Dallas, TX: Level II from $84,718
- Civil Engineers in Boston, MA: Level II from $100,235
- Civil Engineers in Seattle, WA: Level II from $105,789
Lottery entries
Level I = 1 entry, Level II = 2, Level III = 3, Level IV = 4 (90 FR 60864). DHS estimated a 15.29% chance at Level I and 61.16% at Level IV for its assumed pool: how the odds work.
Questions people ask
What are the H-1B wage level salary ranges for civil engineers?
They depend on the area. Among the 60 areas with the most jobs, Level I starts between $45,011 and $94,536 a year, and Level IV between $79,165 and $161,325.
What is the H-1B Level II salary for civil engineers?
From $56,389 in San Juan, PR to $115,336 in San Francisco, CA among the main areas; in 2 of the 60 areas it is above the US mean wage of the occupation ($108,670).
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