Quick answer: Civil Engineers in the Kahului area earn a median $101,530 per year, above the national median of $100,840, and the metro employs about 140 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Kahului metro | Hawaii | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $101,530 | $94,280 | $100,840 |
| 10th percentile | $84,540 | $62,900 | $68,240 |
| 25th percentile | $86,350 | $77,720 | $79,930 |
| 75th percentile | $115,120 | $113,550 | $129,680 |
| 90th percentile | $139,410 | $131,810 | $163,220 |
| Employment | 140 | 2,640 | 367,840 |
| Location quotient | 0.83 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Kahului-Wailuku, HI metropolitan statistical area.
The Kahului median of $101,530 is above the national median of $100,840, and above the Hawaii statewide median of $94,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.83 means civil engineers are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Civil engineering demand tracks regional infrastructure, water, transportation and land development activity.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu | $94,600 | 2,300 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Civil engineering is the most licensure-dependent engineering discipline, because sealing drawings and holding responsible charge require a Professional Engineer license from a state board. The national framework is an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam, qualifying experience, then the PE exam. Whether a state accepts an ABET ETAC (engineering technology) degree toward licensure varies, and so do comity rules between states.
See the Hawaii licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.
Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for civil engineers in the Kahului-Wailuku, HI metro area is $101,530, above the national median of $100,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Kahului-Wailuku, HI metro area employs about 140 civil engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Civil engineering is the most licensure-dependent engineering discipline, because sealing drawings and holding responsible charge require a Professional Engineer license from a state board. The national framework is an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam, qualifying experience, then the PE exam. Whether a state accepts an ABET ETAC (engineering technology) degree toward licensure varies, and so do comity rules between states. Confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state engineering licensing board.
The Kahului metro median is $101,530 against a statewide median of $94,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
