Civil Engineering in Kansas

📊 Employment Overview

Kansas employs 2,790 civil engineering professionals, representing approximately 0.9% of the national workforce in this field. Kansas ranks #33 nationally for civil engineering employment.

💰 Salary Information

Civil Engineering professionals in Kansas earn competitive salaries across all experience levels, with an average annual salary of $81,000.

Note: Salaries are adjusted for cost of living and local market conditions. Data based on BLS statistics and industry surveys (2024-2025).

🎓 Schools Offering Civil Engineering

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📈 Career Growth & Pathways

Civil engineering career paths in Kansas are shaped by the state's dominant infrastructure investment sectors, with clear progression milestones tied to PE licensure and project complexity.

Typical Career Trajectory:

• Junior Civil Engineer / EIT (0–3 years): $53,000–$67,000 — KDOT, Johnson County Road and Bridge, and Wichita-area consulting firms are primary entry points. Kansas State University and University of Kansas supply strong local civil engineering talent.
• Project Engineer (3–6 years): $67,000–$92,000 — Technical ownership on KDOT highway projects, Johnson County development infrastructure, or Wichita aviation facility engineering. PE exam typically pursued at year 4.
• Senior Engineer / Project Manager (6–12 years): $92,000–$113,000 — Program management for KDOT corridor projects or major Kansas City metro development. Senior engineers at HNTB, Burns & McDonnell, and Terracon managing major programs earn at the top of this range.
• Principal/Associate (12+ years): $113,000–$158,000+ — Firm leadership in Kansas's market. Burns & McDonnell's growth in Kansas City and Terracon's national headquarters create meaningful principal-level opportunities.

High-Value Specializations: Geotechnical engineering in Kansas's varied geology — from the glacial deposits of northeast Kansas to the Prairie Flint Hills limestone to the unstable shale formations of southeast Kansas — is well-developed by nationally prominent firms like Terracon headquartered in Overland Park. Transportation engineering for I-70 corridor improvement and rural highway rehabilitation is Kansas's foundational civil engineering specialty. Aviation facility civil engineering for Wichita's major aircraft manufacturers — taxiway design, apron grading, fuel system civil infrastructure, and industrial facility site engineering — is a specialty concentrated in the state's aviation capital. Flood control and floodplain management for the Kansas River basin, which has a history of significant flooding events, is a consistently active specialty.

💰 Salary vs. Cost of Living

Kansas offers civil engineers among the best purchasing power of any state in the Midwest. Cost of living is consistently 15–20% below the national average, income tax tops at 5.7% for high earners but has been reduced in recent years, and housing costs are dramatically below coastal equivalents.

Kansas City Metro (Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, Lenexa): Cost of living approximately 5–10% below the national average — the most expensive Kansas market, but still highly affordable. Median home prices of $310,000–$430,000 in desirable Johnson County communities are very accessible on engineering salaries. Wichita: 15–20% below the national average. Median homes $210,000–$290,000 — outstanding value. Engineers in aviation facility or KDOT district positions build genuine wealth in Wichita's affordable market. Salina/Manhattan/Lawrence: 20–25% below the national average — extremely affordable with strong quality of life for university-adjacent and agricultural market engineering. The Financial Picture: A Kansas civil engineer earning $81,000 in Overland Park who owns a $320,000 home contributes substantially more to savings and retirement than a California peer earning $130,000 renting a $2,500/month apartment.

Kansas City's Johnson County — combining suburban quality, access to KC's metropolitan amenities, below-average living costs, and the engineering employment of firms like HNTB, Burns & McDonnell, and Terracon — represents one of the Midwest's most compelling civil engineering career destinations for engineers prioritizing financial security.

📜 Licensing & Professional Development

Professional Engineering (PE) licensure is essential for civil engineers in Kansas. Kansas PE Licensure Path:

• FE Exam: Required first step. Kansas State Board of Technical Professions accepts NCEES CBT format. Kansas State University and University of Kansas are primary engineering programs.
• 4 Years of Progressive Experience: Under PE supervision. Kansas accepts transportation, structural, geotechnical, water/wastewater, and site development experience. KDOT and Corps of Engineers project experience provide solid qualifying opportunities.
• PE Exam (Civil Engineering): National exam. Kansas has full NCEES reciprocity. PE is required for KDOT design approval and for engineers stamping public infrastructure — essential for career advancement in Kansas civil engineering.

PE licensure is essential for Kansas civil engineering. KDOT requires PE for engineers who seal transportation design documents. Kansas municipalities require PE-stamped designs for public infrastructure. Aviation facility civil engineering for FAA-regulated airport projects requires PE for engineers who seal airfield design documents. Terracon's geotechnical report stamping requirements create strong demand for PE-licensed geotechnical engineers in the Kansas City market.

Additional Certifications:

• KDOT Pre-Qualification: Kansas DOT's consultant pre-qualification program makes demonstrated KDOT project experience valuable — familiarity with KDOT standard specifications, KLINK online project management, and KDOT's Local Projects office processes is expected for transportation engineers serving the state highway program.
• FAA Advisory Circular Familiarity (Airport Civil Engineering): Wichita's aviation sector and Kansas's general aviation airports create demand for civil engineers familiar with FAA Advisory Circulars for airport pavement design, drainage, and safety area standards — valuable credentials for engineers in the aviation facility market.
• CFM (Certified Floodplain Manager): Kansas River basin flooding history and FEMA floodplain mapping in the Kansas City metro and Wichita areas make CFM certification valuable for civil engineers in land development, drainage, and municipal engineering.

📊 Job Market Outlook

Kansas's civil engineering employment is projected to grow 5–8% over the next five years, driven by KDOT's IIJA-funded highway program, Johnson County's continued growth, Wichita's aviation manufacturing investment, and water infrastructure investment across the state's aging municipal systems.

KDOT Connecting Kansas Program: KDOT's Connecting Kansas program — leveraging IIJA federal funding for bridge replacements, highway resurfacing, and safety improvements across the state's 10,000-mile highway network — provides reliable civil engineering employment statewide. Key projects include US-40 and K-96 corridor improvements and rural bridge replacement programs.

Johnson County Growth Infrastructure: Overland Park, Olathe, and Leawood continue growing as the Kansas side of the KC metro attracts residents and businesses from Kansas City proper and from higher-cost states. Development infrastructure engineering — roads, utilities, stormwater — and the transportation improvements needed to serve growth are sustaining civil engineering demand in northeast Kansas.

Wichita Aviation Manufacturing Investment: Spirit AeroSystems' Wichita operations and Textron Aviation's continued production create ongoing demand for aviation facility civil engineering. Apron expansions, hangar construction, and industrial utility infrastructure for manufacturing facilities require civil engineering expertise that is concentrated in Wichita.

Water and Wastewater System Rehabilitation: Kansas's many smaller cities have aging water and wastewater systems that are receiving EPA and KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment) investment for rehabilitation. Water main replacement programs, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, and rural water system consolidations are creating civil engineering demand across the state.

🕐 Day in the Life

Civil engineering in Kansas is practical, community-focused, and defined by the honest work ethic that characterizes the Great Plains. At KDOT (District Offices): Transportation engineers manage highway projects across a large, rural state where individual road improvements directly affect communities' connectivity and economic viability. A project engineer in Salina might be reviewing plans for a US-81 bridge replacement, coordinating with a wheat farmer on right-of-way impacts, and attending a pre-construction conference for a K-96 resurfacing project — all in the same day. At Burns & McDonnell (Kansas City): One of the nation's most respected engineering and construction firms is headquartered in Kansas City, offering civil engineers the opportunity to work on national projects from a Midwest base. Burns & McDonnell's employee-ownership model creates a culture of genuine investment in quality and client service. At Terracon (Overland Park): The nation's largest 100% employee-owned geotechnical and testing firm is headquartered in Kansas, offering civil engineers specializing in geotechnical, materials testing, and environmental work a national platform from a Midwest base. Lifestyle: Kansas's lifestyle is unpretentious and genuine — Royals and Chiefs games define Kansas City's sports culture in ways that are nationally unique, the Flint Hills' tallgrass prairie is one of America's most distinctive landscapes, and the state's agricultural character gives professional life a grounding in real-world food production and logistics that engineers in other sectors don't experience. Kansas's affordability means engineers build financial security and community roots simultaneously.

🔄 Compare with Other States

See how Kansas compares to other top states for civil engineering: