Civil Engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
367,840 people do this job in the US. $100,840 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 62%
- 17%
- 21%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 5%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | 27%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 work days5 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Aug 2028 | |
| Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 3.3 work days | 9%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | 43%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).