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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

Civil engineers

Two male civil engineers looking towards wooden structures with a tablet in hand. 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. Includes architectural, structural, traffic, and geotechnical engineers.

For terms and definitions in this profile, see definitions of major terms.

Cognitive and mental requirements

The qualifications that workers need to use judgment, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt to changes in jobs.

In 2025, more than basic people skills were required for greater than 95 percent of civil engineers. Basic people skills were required for less than 5 percent.

Table 1. Percentage of civil engineers with cognitive and mental requirements, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Work schedule varies	25.0	75.0
Ability to pause work (and take brief unscheduled breaks)	>99.5	<0.5
Working around crowds	<0.5	>99.5
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Education, training, and experience requirements

The minimum level of formal education required, credentials necessary, on-the-job training, and prior work experience necessary for average performance in jobs. The time associated with these requirements is combined to calculate the specific vocational preparation level needed for the job.

A bachelor's degree was required for 94.5 percent of civil engineers.

Environmental conditions

The various hazards or difficulties that are in the area where workers perform their critical tasks.

In 2025, a quiet noise exposure was present for 12.0 percent of civil engineers. Another 88.0 percent were exposed to moderate noise, less than 0.5 percent were exposed to loud noise, and less than 0.5 percent to very loud noise.

Physical demands

The physical activities required to perform tasks in jobs. The presence and, in some cases, duration of these activities are published.

In 2025, speaking was required for greater than 99.5 percent of civil engineers and was not required for less than 0.5 percent. For less than 0.5 percent of workers, speaking was seldom required, for 73.9 percent speaking was occasionally required, for 26.1 percent speaking was frequently required, and for less than 0.5 percent speaking was required constantly.

The choice to sit or stand when performing critical tasks was available to greater than 50 percent of civil engineers. On average, workers spent 76.6 percent of the workday sitting and 23.4 percent of the workday standing.

Table 2. Percentage of civil engineers with physical demands, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Climbing structure-related ramps or stairs	18.5	81.5
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey