Compensation in Consulting Engineering and Land Surveying Firms, 12th Edition - 2006

Compensation in Consulting Engineering and Land Surveying Firms, 12th Edition - 2006
Survey Summary

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Summary of the 975-page Compensation in Consulting Engineering and Land Surveying Firms survey report of 103 benchmark jobs from Abbott, Langer Association Surveys. The following describes the highest and lowest paid job characteristics, the national median total cash compensation for 20 benchmark jobs, and the factors affecting salary (Geographic Area, Type of Service Provided by Employer, Annual Fees, Number of Employees, Type of Work Performed, Experience, Education, Experience Versus Education, and Managerial/Supervisory Responsibility):

The composite highest-income practitioner in this field (salary plus cash bonus and/or cash profit sharing) is the President or Senior Vice President of a consulting engineering firm. The firm provides services in civil (general and/or land development) engineering or surveying; receives in excess of $100,000,000 in gross annual fees for services rendered; has 1,000 or more employees; and is headquartered in or near Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tucson, Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, Sacramento, Daytona Beach/Melbourne/Titusville (FL), or Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Newport News/Chesapeake/Hampton/Portsmouth, or outside the many metropolitan areas studied in Florida. This individual has an MBA or an MS in engineering, and 20 or more years of experience. While the median President has a total annual income of $114,400 and the median Senior Vice President $193,560, the highest-income individuals reported in this group make over $1,000,000.

Far toward the other end of the income spectrum, entry-level Field Technicians have a median income of $22,000. Sometimes earning under $10,000, the lowest-paid employees in this group usually are located in or near San Diego, Montgomery (AL), El Paso, Lexington (KY), or Nashville, or outside metropolitan areas studied in Florida; work for firms having no primary specialty or providing services in geotechnical engineering, surveying, or civil engineering; have little or no experience; and have no college training.

These composites represent the briefest possible "boil-down" of the voluminous data provided regarding current salaries and cash bonuses and/or profit sharing, and numerous demographic variables provided by 138 consulting engineering and land surveying firms on more than 4,200 employees in 103 benchmark jobs. The end results of the survey appear in Compensation in Consulting Engineering and Land Surveying Firms, 12th Edition - 2006, a 975-page statistical analysis of compensation in this field. Copies of this four-volume report are available for $1,295.00 through our On-Line Order Form or from Abbott, Langer Association Surveys, 1725 I Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 (Telephone: (877) 210-6563, Fax: (877) 239-2457). Each volume may be purchased separately (Volume 1 - supervisory & managerial jobs and Volume 2 - non-supervisory engineers & scientists for $515.00; and Volume 3 - CADD/design/drafting jobs and Volume 4 - laboratory/surveying/technician jobs for $410.00).

Now, we also offer a findpay program to locate and analyze all the information from each volume of the 975-page printed report and more quickly and easily on your Windows computer for $1,950.00. With the findpay software, you can analyze all the survey results, limit your analysis to the results from each printed volume separately, or produce results unavailable in the printed report. Computer software can only be returned for exchange if defective, but you can download and review a free, limited version of the findpay program with all the data from the recent survey here.

It would be an exercise in futility to attempt more than a superficial overview of the survey results in this summary. However, some overall data regarding compensation can be presented herein, and some comments can be made.

In addition to the incomes of the benchmark jobs already discussed, the median total cash compensation nationally of some of the other 101 benchmark jobs included in the survey report is:

Naturally, these nation-wide pay rates vary by region, state & metropolitan area, type of services provided and annual fees received by the firm, size of firm, type of work performed/supervised/managed, level of education, length of experience, and supervisory/managerial responsibility involved - all demographic variables for which data are provided in the complete report.

Geographic Area

The median total annual cash compensation for supervisory/managerial personnel is highest in the southern and southwestern states and lowest in the north central and midwestern states. The Pacific, Rocky Mountain, and northeastern states fall in the middle of the range. Regarding metropolitan areas only, the highest median annual incomes are found in: Memphis; Arlington/Alexandria/Reston; Dallas/Ft. Worth; and Tallahassee. The lowest median annual incomes are found in Greenville/Spartanburg (SC); Boise; Toledo; and Des Moines.

Median total annual cash compensation for non-supervisory engineering and scientific jobs is highest in the southwestern and southern states and lowest in the northeastern and north central states. The Rocky Mountain, Pacific, and midwestern states are in the middle. Regarding metropolitan areas only, the highest median annual incomes are found in: Tallahassee; Tucson; Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Newport News/Chesapeake/Hampton/Portsmouth; Dallas/Ft. Worth; and Las Vegas. The lowest median annual incomes are found in: Roanoke; Toledo; the San Gabriel Valley; and Baton Rouge.

Median total annual cash compensation for CADD/designing/drafting jobs is highest in the southern and Rocky Mountain states. The southwestern and north central states are lowest, with the Pacific, northeastern, and midwestern states falling in the middle. Treating metropolitan areas alone, the highest median annual incomes are found in: Tallahassee; Bakersfield (CA); Dallas/Ft. Worth; Orlando; Daytona Beach/Melbourne/Titusville (FL); and San Francisco. The lowest median annual incomes are found in: Toledo; South Bend (IN); Knoxville/Oak Ridge; and Reno/Carson City (NV).

Median total annual cash compensation for laboratory, land surveying, and technician jobs is highest in the Pacific and north central states and lowest in the southwestern and southern states with the northeastern, midwestern, and Rocky Mountain states falling in the middle. As to metropolitan areas alone, the highest median annual incomes are found in: Oakland/East Bay (CA); San Diego; San Francisco; and Seattle/Everett. The lowest median annual incomes are found in McAllen/Pharr/Edinburg (TX); South Bend (IN); El Paso; San Antonio; and Bradenton/Sarasota (FL).

Type of Service Provided by Employer

Overall, supervisory/managerial personnel are paid best in civil (general and primarily structural), environmental, and mechanical engineering firms, and worst in land surveying, mechanical engineering (HVAC/piping/plumbing), and electrical engineering firms.

Engineering and scientific jobs pay best in civil (general) and environmental engineering firms, and worst in electrical and civil (primarily structural) engineering firms.

CADD/designing/drafting jobs pay best in environmental and mechanical engineering (HVAC/piping/plumbing) firms, and worst in land surveying and civil (primarily structural) engineering firms.

Laboratory, land surveying, and technician jobs pay best in civil (primarily land development) and environmental engineering firms, and worst in geotechnical engineering and land surveying firms.

Annual Fees

This factor is a good indicator of the median total annual cash compensation received by all types of employees in the consulting engineering/land surveying field, with firms receiving $25,000,000 or more providing the highest annual income.

Number of Employees

This factor is generally a good overall predictor of median total annual cash compensation in the consulting engineering/land surveying field.

Type of Work Performed

For supervisory/managerial personnel, median total annual cash compensation is highest in planning, computer science, and general civil engineering, and lowest in sanitary engineering, architecture, and land surveying. For engineering and scientific jobs, it is highest in toxicology, aeronautical/aerospace, and chemical engineering, and lowest in ecology, construction inspection/management, and engineering geology. Among CADD/design/drafting personnel, designers (primarily CADD) are paid best, and drafters (excluding CADD) are paid least. For laboratory, land surveying, and technician jobs, annual compensation is highest in land surveying, and lowest as a driller helper.

Experience

In most areas surveyed, this is an excellent predictor of median total annual cash compensation: Typically, the more years of experience, the higher the compensation.

Education

This is a fairly good indicator of median total annual cash compensation in all areas surveyed. Supervisory/managerial personnel with an MBA received the highest compensation ($163,127). An advanced degree also resulted in the highest compensation for those in engineering/scientific jobs, while both CADD/designing/drafting and laboratory, land surveying, and technician personnel with bachelor's degrees received the highest compensation (few had advanced degrees).

Experience Versus Education

A combination of experience and education is a better predictor of compensation than either area alone. While dealt with in detail in the report, space does not allow an analysis of the data herein.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibility

Median total annual cash compensation varies greatly according to the level of supervisory responsibility. Compensation is highest for supervisory/managerial personnel who supervise 50 or more professional employees (with little or no responsibility for supervising technicians and/or drafters). For engineering and scientific jobs, compensation is lowest with no consistent supervisory responsibility and highest when supervising 10-49 professional and subprofessional employees or 5-9 employees. For CADD/designing/drafting jobs, supervising one or two subprofessionals brings the highest compensation, while no consistent supervisory responsibility results in the lowest incomes. For laboratory, land surveying, and technician jobs, supervising five to nine technicians and/or drafters results in the highest compensation; no consistent supervisory responsibility results in the lowest pay.

Buy the 975-page, four-volume survey report, Compensation in Consulting Engineering and Land Surveying Firms, 12th Edition - 2006 described on this page for $1,295, with charges for shipping & handling. The report is IN STOCK and can be shipped out within two business days. The mean, median, 1st and 3rd quartile, and 1st and 9th decile data for base salary, bonus/commission/profit sharing, and total annual cash compensation are reported for many demographic variables, including education, experience, geographic location, type and size of employer, etc. To purchase the report, use our On-Line Order Form, call (877) 210-6563, , fax, or write per the information at the bottom of this page.

Following are the 138 organizations that supplied current compensation and demographic information for the survey report.

• Acura Engineering, Inc.
• Air'N Art Designs
• Alexander Development Consultants, Inc.
• AllStar Land Surveying
• Allstructure Engineering
• AllWest Environmental, Inc.
• Anchor Engineering & Inspection, Inc.
• Argos Engineers, Inc.
• Armstrong Surveying & Engineering, Inc.
• Aspen Land Surveying, LLC
• ATS International, Inc.
• Ayres Associates
• Bertsch & Associates
• Boatwright Engineering, Inc.
• Bolton & Associates, LLC
• Braden Professional Engineering
• Buck Engineering
• C C & I Engineering, Inc.
• C.E.S. NW, Inc.
• Cal Ek Engineering
• Certified Facilities
• CFA, Inc.
• Clark Engineering Corporation
• Clements Surveying, Inc.
• Concept Mechanical Engineering, Inc.
• Crim Sales & Engineering, Inc.
• Crispell-Snyder, Inc.
• CSA Engineering, Inc.
• CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group
• D'Appolonia Engineering, division of Ground Technology, Inc.
• David M. Dolan Associates, P.C.
• Dennis J. Leavy & Associates, Inc.
• Development Engineering, P.A.
• DeWalt Corporation
• DiPrete Engineering Associates, Inc., ATS Survey, Inc.
• Durand-Hillis-Mouw-Woods, LLC
• DynaTech Engineering, Inc.
• E & O Engineering, Inc.
• Earth Exploration, Inc.
• Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc.
• Engineering Alliance, Inc.
• Engineers Plus
• Environmental Compliance Services, Inc.
• Extrusion Engineers
• Feller, Finch & Associates, Inc.
• Frederick Land Surveying, Inc.
• Gallet & Associates
• GEI Consultants, Inc.
• Geological Resources, Inc.
• GeoSyntec Consultants
• Geotech Solutions, Inc.
• GSE Associates, Inc.
• GTS Consultants, Inc.
• Hansen, Allen & Luce, Inc.
• Holdrege & Kull Consulting Engineers
• Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
• Hunt Club Consulting, Inc.
• Industrial Electric Corporation
• Integrity Surveys
• J. J. Howard Engineers
• James J. Mallett, PEPA
• James M. Stewart, Inc.
• Jobes Henderson & Associates, Inc.
• Jones, Edmunds & Associates, Inc.
• Justice and Huang Engineers, Inc.
• K2N Crest
• Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
• KME Consulting, LLC
• Kuehl & Payer, Ltd.
• Land Technologies, Inc.
• Lee & Pierce, Inc.
• Lee F. Carroll, P.E., Electrical Consultants
• Lehner Associates, Inc.
• Leighton Group, Inc.
• Little River Survey Company, LLC
• Lynn Townsend & Associates, PC
• Maxim Engineering
• McElhenny Engineering, Inc.
• McFarland-Johnson, Inc.
• MJH Engineering & Surveying
• MJS Engineering & Surveying, P.C.
• Momenee & Associates, Inc.
• Mother Lode Engineering
• n Hance Technologies, Inc.
• Nishkian Monks, PLLC
• Nobis Engineering, Inc.
• Norman Highway Constructors, Inc.
• Northland Exploration Surveys, Inc.
• O'Hara Land Surveying, LLC
• O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates, Inc.
• OPW Engineering, LLC
• Otak, Inc.
• P. A. Arca Engineering, Inc.
• Pappe Land Surveying Company
• Particulate Separation, Consulting Services, LLC
• Pettigrew & Associates, P.A.
• Phillips & Associates, Surveyors, P.C.
• Phoenix Design Group, Ltd.
• Pool & Associates
• Precision Land Surveying, Inc.
• Precision Structural Engineering, Inc.
• R. J. Behar & Company, Inc.
• Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc.
• Raley and Associates, Inc.
• Ratsch Engineering Company, Ltd.
• RGH Consultants, Inc.
• Roddey Engineering Services, Inc.
• Saiful-Bouquet, Inc.
• Samartano & Company
• Sarah Whitaker, P.G.
• Schell & Martin, Inc.
• Schreier Engineering
• Scott A. Sabol, P.E.
• Skidmore Surveying, Inc.
• Sol Schwartz, P.E.
• Sterling Engineering, Inc.
• Steve Coleman & Associates, Inc.
• Stillwater Engineering
• Stires Associates, P.A.
• STS Consultants, Ltd.
• TEC 1, Inc., d/b/a TEC Engineering Consulting
• Tec Engineers & Consultants, Inc.
• Theobald Bufano Associates
• Therm-A-Cor Consulting, Inc.
• Thoma Electric, Inc.
• Thot Pro Engineering
• Titcomb Associates, Inc.
• Tower Engineering, Inc.
• U.P. Engineers & Architects, Inc.
• Unlimited Boundaries, Inc., d/b/a Associated Land Surveyors
• Vaughan Surveys
• VTA Consulting Engineers
• Walden Associates
• Wamble & Associates, PLLC
• Wightman & Associates, Inc.
• Wightman Jones, Inc.
• Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc.