Civil Engineer Salary in Massachusetts (2026)
The average Civil Engineer in Massachusetts earns around $100,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $74,400/year ($6,200/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $74,400 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,200 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,862 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $36/hr |
Federal Tax | $13,170 |
State Tax | $4,780 |
FICA Taxes | $7,650 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 25.6% |
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Civil Engineer Salary Ranges in Massachusetts
Not all Civil Engineers earn the same — not even close
Massachusetts's civil engineering market is anchored by MassDOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation, $2B+ annual capital program), the Green Line Extension (GLX, completed 2022 — $2.3B Boston transit project, ongoing maintenance + capacity expansion), the substantial Kendall Square biotech facility construction (each major biotech tower $200M+ build), MIT + Harvard capital projects (combined ~$1B+ annual construction), Cape Wind + Vineyard Wind offshore wind interconnect engineering, plus federal contractor work at Hanscom AFB + MIT Lincoln Lab. Major engineering firms: Stantec MA, AECOM, VHB Watertown HQ, Howard Stein Hudson, plus Tighe & Bond Westfield.
Principal / Partner (MA engineering firm)
$215,000–$365,000
Senior partners · VHB Watertown · Stantec · AECOM senior · Howard Stein Hudson · Tighe & Bond
Senior PE (Transportation / Structural)
$135,000–$195,000
MassDOT design-build · I-90 + I-93 + I-95 + Route 128 · GLX legacy · senior bridge engineering
Senior PE (Land Development)
$120,000–$175,000
Suburban Boston subdivision · Kendall Square biotech · 128 belt life sciences development
Senior PE (Water / Wastewater)
$120,000–$175,000
MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority) · Quabbin Reservoir · combined sewer overflow projects
Senior PE (Offshore Wind / Marine)
$140,000–$215,000
Vineyard Wind + Commonwealth Wind interconnect · Cape Cod offshore wind transmission · marine engineering
Project Engineer (5-8 years, PE)
$100,000–$140,000
Mid-career band · MassDOT or private-sector contracts · stamping authority on smaller projects
Staff Engineer (EIT, 0-5 years)
$72,000–$98,000
Pre-PE band · MIT + UMass Amherst + Northeastern + WPI + Tufts new grads · FLSA non-exempt typical
Senior Federal / Defense PE (Cleared)
$145,000–$215,000
Hanscom AFB + MIT Lincoln Lab infrastructure · Natick Soldier Systems Center · clearance premium
Senior Construction PM
$125,000–$195,000
Suffolk Construction (Boston HQ) · Skanska MA · Turner Boston · biotech lab construction premium
Senior Biotech / Life Sciences PE
$130,000–$195,000
Cleanroom design · cGMP manufacturing facility design · Cambridge biotech towers · specialty premium
Worth knowing: Massachusetts is at the leading edge of the US offshore wind buildout. Vineyard Wind 1 (offshore Martha's Vineyard, 806 MW first commercial-scale US offshore wind project, full commercial operations 2024) plus Commonwealth Wind (1.2 GW canceled 2023 then partially revived) plus the planned Vineyard Wind 2 + offshore wind transmission interconnect through Cape Cod drive specialty marine + offshore wind civil engineering demand — senior offshore wind PEs at Vineyard Wind project sponsors + cable installation contractors clear $140-215K w/specialty premium. Kendall Square biotech facility construction is the largest US biotech build-out — typical major Kendall Square biotech tower runs $200M+ construction cost with substantial cleanroom + cGMP manufacturing facility design + clean utility design. Senior life sciences PEs $130-195K. MassDOT's $2B+ annual capital program covers I-90 (the Mass Pike, transcontinental east-west) + I-93 (Boston-NH border) + I-95 (the 128 belt) + GLX legacy + South Coast Rail (extending commuter rail to New Bedford + Fall River, completed 2024). MIT + Harvard combined $1B+ annual capital construction drives substantial academic + research-facility engineering demand. The MA combined effective rate at $150K senior PE comp is 5% flat — but at $1.117M+ TC the Fair Share Amendment 4% surtax pushes combined top to 9%. The $2M estate exemption (raised from $1M by HB 4104 of Oct 2023) drives meaningful HNW NH/FL relocation patterns at retirement-stage civil engineering partners.
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More on Massachusetts
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Massachusetts in 2026.
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