Engineering

Civil Engineer Salary in District Of Columbia (2026)

The average Civil Engineer in District Of Columbia earns around $100,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $73,649/year ($6,137/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$73,649
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$6,137
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$2,833
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$35/hr
Federal Tax
$13,170
State Tax
$5,532
FICA Taxes
$7,650
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

26.35%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

Want to model 401(k), HSA, or pre-tax contributions against your full salary? Open the salary calculator

Got a year-end bonus, sign-on, or retention payout? See the bonus calculator

1099 contract work or side gigs? Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top. Open the 1099 tax calculator

Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator

Key terms:···

Civil Engineer Salary Ranges in District Of Columbia

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$75,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$100,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$145,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Civil Engineers earn the same — not even close

DC's civil engineering market is anchored by DC transportation infrastructure (District Department of Transportation DDOT + Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority WMATA + I-395 + I-695 + Anacostia Freeway + Memorial Bridge + Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge + post-2024 11th Street Bridge Park + the substantial post-IIJA 2021 federal funding + the substantial DC bridge + road rehabilitation), DC Water + Sewer Authority DCWASA + the substantial DC water + sewer infrastructure + post-2024 Anacostia River cleanup, federal building + monument CE (Smithsonian Institution facility CE + Federal Triangle GSA + Capitol Hill + White House + Pentagon nearby + the substantial DC federal monument + museum construction + the substantial GSA federal buildings + post-2024 DC federal building modernization), DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor CE (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech federal CE + AECOM Federal + Parsons Federal + Jacobs Federal + the substantial DC cleared federal CE), MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard hospital construction CE, plus George Washington University Civil & Environmental Engineering + Catholic University of America School of Engineering + Howard University Civil Engineering + the substantial DC CE pipeline.

Sr / Lead Civil Engineer

$140,000–$222,000+ bonus

Sr CE at DDOT + WMATA + Booz Allen + AECOM + Smithsonian + Capitol

Sr Structural Engineer

$125,000–$195,000+ bonus

Structural at DC major firms · DC Metro + federal buildings + monuments

Sr Civil Engineer (DDOT / WMATA / Transportation)

$108,000–$165,000+ bonus

DDOT + WMATA + I-395 + I-695 + 11th Street Bridge + post-IIJA federal

Sr Federal Civil Engineer (GSA / Smithsonian / Capitol)

$118,000–$182,000+ GS-13/14

GSA federal buildings + Smithsonian + Capitol Hill + federal monument

Sr Civil Engineer (Booz Allen / Leidos / Federal Contractor)

$125,000–$192,000+ TC

Booz + Leidos + SAIC + AECOM + Parsons + Jacobs federal · cleared

Sr Water Resources Engineer (DC Water / Anacostia)

$105,000–$162,000+ bonus

DC Water + Anacostia River + Potomac + post-2024 DC water + sewer

Sr Construction PM (MedStar / Children's National)

$108,000–$165,000+ bonus

MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard · hospital construction + LEED

Sr WMATA Transit CE

$108,000–$165,000+ bonus

WMATA DC Metro + bus + signaling + the substantial DC transit infrastructure

Mid-Level CE (3-6 yrs)

$82,000–$125,000+ bonus

Functional CE at DC major employers · transitioning to senior band

Junior CE / EIT (0-3 yrs)

$72,000–$98,000+ bonus

GW CEE + Catholic Eng + Howard Eng + AU · entry EIT band

Worth knowing: DDOT + WMATA transportation infrastructure + DC Water + Anacostia + federal building + monument CE (Smithsonian + Federal Triangle GSA + Capitol Hill) + DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor CE tetra-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state federal transit + federal buildings + cleared federal CE cluster and a feature most national CE surveys understate for DC. DC transportation infrastructure (District Department of Transportation DDOT + Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority WMATA + I-395 + I-695 + Anacostia Freeway + Memorial Bridge + Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge + post-2024 11th Street Bridge Park + the substantial post-IIJA 2021 federal funding). DC Water + Sewer Authority DCWASA + post-2024 Anacostia River cleanup. Federal building + monument CE (Smithsonian + Federal Triangle GSA + Capitol Hill + White House + Pentagon nearby + the substantial DC federal monument + museum construction + the substantial GSA federal buildings). DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor CE (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech + AECOM Federal + Parsons Federal + Jacobs Federal). MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard hospital construction CE. GW Civil & Environmental Engineering + Catholic Eng + Howard Eng. DC progressive top 10.75% + DC NLC since 2024 anchor the DC CE proposition.

Calculate Your Exact Take-Home Pay

Add 401(k) contributions, HSA, dependents, and more to see your personalized take-home.

Open Full Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.

Compare Two States

See how income tax, take-home pay, and total tax burden differ between any two US states side by side.

State 1

State 2

Civil Engineer Salary in Other States

More on District Of Columbia