Construction Manager vs Civil Engineer: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Construction Manager vs Civil Engineer: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 11-9021 and 17-2051). The national median annual wage is $114,990 for construction managers and $100,840 for civil engineers (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +9.1% for construction managers and +6.4% for civil engineers from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Bachelor's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Construction ManagerSOC 11-9021 | Civil EngineerSOC 17-2051 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $114,990 | $100,840 | Construction Manager |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 380,360 | 367,840 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +9.1% | +6.4% | Construction Manager |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +55,200 jobs | +24,500 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 49,700 a year | 22,700 a year | Construction Manager |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | Moderate-term on-the-job training | None | Not ranked |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | High school diploma (66.0%) | Bachelor's degree (94.5%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.42 | 3.16 | Civil Engineer |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.26 | 3.93 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.20 | 3.90 | Construction Manager |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Leadership Orientation, Dependability, Integrity | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cautiousness | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($114,990 vs $100,840)
- faster projected national growth matters (+9.1% vs +6.4%)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.20 vs 3.90)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.16 vs 3.42)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 72% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Troubleshooting (+1.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operation and Control (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Negotiation (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Science (+2.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Technology Design (+1.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+1.3 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Construction Manager
- Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with building and safety codes or other regulations.
- Develop or implement quality control programs.
- Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
- Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
Civil Engineer
- Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Construction Manager
- Construction of buildings (24.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Specialty trade contractors (17.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Heavy and civil engineering construction (8.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Civil Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (54.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (23.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Construction of buildings (8.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Construction Manager → Civil Engineer: skills to build: Science, Technology Design, Programming. Careers after Construction Manager
- Civil Engineer → Construction Manager: skills to build: Troubleshooting, Operation and Control, Equipment Selection. Careers after Civil Engineer
Go deeper
Construction Manager career hub · Construction Manager salary · Construction Manager how to become · Construction Manager career change · Civil Engineer career hub · Civil Engineer salary · Civil Engineer how to become · Civil Engineer career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Construction Manager or Civil Engineer?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 11-9021 and 17-2051). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “construction manager vs civil engineer”, “civil engineer vs construction manager”, “civil engineer vs construction manager salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).