Civil Engineer (R&D) salary

From 100 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.

  • Occupation code 17-2053: Civil Engineers, R&D
Median base salary$87,236−29% vs. all H-1B filings
Middle 50%$68k–$110.1k
80% of filings$61.4k–$132.8k10th to 90th percentile
Level I (entry-level) share53%all filings: 19%

At a glance

  • Mostly Level I (entry-level). 53% of Civil Engineer (R&D) filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
  • Median up 31% since FY2020. From $68,979 in FY2020 to $90,598 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.

Civil Engineer (R&D) H-1B salary overview

Employers filed 100 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Civil Engineer (R&D) jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 17-2053, Civil Engineers, R&D). The median base salary is $87,236, 29% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $67,990 and $110,137. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 53% of filings.

Is your Civil Engineer (R&D) offer competitive?

Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with certified H-1B filings for Civil Engineer (R&D) jobs, nationally or in one metro area.

10th $61.4k25th $68kmedian $87.2k75th $110.1k90th $132.8k

Enter a salary to see where it falls.

Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.

Pay by level

$67kLevel I
Entry-level · 53% of filings
$102.6kLevel II
Mid-level · 28% of filings
$110.4kLevel III
Senior · 19% of filings
–Level IV
Expert · 0% of filings
Show the table

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry $67,000 39
Level II · Qualified $102,586 21
Level III · Experienced $110,352 14
Level IV · Fully competent – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Salary details

Median salary$87,236
Middle 50%$68k–$110.1k
vs. all occupations−29%comparison median $122,699
Filings100FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $59,434 and $185,926.
PercentileSalary
10th$61,390
25th$67,990
50th (median)$87,236
75th$110,137
90th$132,801

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $68,979 (65 filings) FY2021: median $67,237 (86 filings) FY2022: median $70,000 (93 filings) FY2023: median $77,000 (83 filings) FY2024: median $84,094 (93 filings) FY2025: median $75,234 (58 filings) FY2026: median $90,598 (42 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 65 filings FY20 FY2021: 86 filings FY21 FY2022: 93 filings FY22 FY2023: 83 filings FY23 FY2024: 93 filings FY24 FY2025: 58 filings FY25 FY2026: 42 filings FY26 93
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$68,979$55,000$83,84565
FY2021$67,237$55,002$81,74386
FY2022$70,000$57,930$87,80093
FY2023$77,000$61,339$92,20583
FY2024$84,094$62,000$96,22193
FY2025$75,234$65,000$107,70758
FY2026$90,598$74,373$118,60042

Questions

How much does an H-1B Civil Engineer (R&D) make?

The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Civil Engineer (R&D) jobs is $87,236 (100 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $67,990 and $110,137.

What does an entry-level Civil Engineer (R&D) earn on an H-1B?

Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $67,000. Level I accounts for 53% of Civil Engineer (R&D) filings.