At a glance
The nominal median for Civil Engineers is $100,740 in Orlando versus $100,570 in Tampa, a gap of $170 a year.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment the order flips and Tampa leads: $99,683 versus $99,331, a gap of $352.
Published medians for the occupation, not an offer, take-home pay or a relocation recommendation.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Orlando vs. Tampa: key measures
For the BLS Civil Engineers classification, this comparison holds the occupation code constant between Orlando and Tampa. It pairs reported wage percentiles with regional prices, metro rents and commuting context. The metrics are not job offers, apartment quotes or a complete household budget. The figures describe metropolitan statistical areas, not city limits.
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| Measure | Orlando | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $67,170 | $71,630 |
| 25th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $78,810 | $75,440 |
| Annual occupational median (BLS) | $100,740 | $100,570 |
| 75th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $129,160 | $130,910 |
| 90th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $165,320 | $170,110 |
| Price-adjusted median (site calculation) | $99,331 | $99,683 |
| All-items RPP (BEA) | 101.418 | 100.890 |
| Median gross rent / month (ACS) | $1,760 | $1,628 |
| 45+ minute commute share (ACS) | 18.9% | 19.3% |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes when location is considered?
Orlando leads on published nominal annual median pay by $170. Tampa leads on the national-price-equivalent median by $352. The higher nominal wage reverses after the broad price adjustment.
These are different lenses: the nominal figures come from BLS, while the adjusted metric uses the 2024 BEA all-items regional price parity (101.4 for Orlando versus 100.9 for Tampa). Neither is a prediction of an actual offer.
Orlando has a higher metro-wide ACS monthly median gross rent by $132. The share of workers with one-way trips of at least 45 minutes is 0.4 percentage points higher in Tampa.
How Orlando and Tampa rank for this occupation
Out of the 75 curated metros with a reported civil engineers median, Orlando ranks 32nd on nominal median pay and 47th on price-adjusted pay. Tampa ranks 34th nominal and 45th adjusted. The middle adjusted median across all 75 metros is $101,137: Orlando’s ($99,331) is 1.8% below that middle value and Tampa’s ($99,683) is 1.4% below it.
Ranks compare published medians for this one occupation. See all 75 metros for civil engineers for the full list.
Pay at each percentile and how common the job is
After the BEA price adjustment, Orlando is higher at 1 of the 5 published percentile levels and Tampa at 4. The 90th percentile is 2.5× the 10th in Orlando and 2.4× in Tampa; the middle half of wages spans 50% of the median in Orlando and 55% in Tampa.
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| Percentile | Orlando adjusted | Tampa adjusted | Higher after adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $66,231 | $70,998 | Tampa |
| 25th | $77,708 | $74,775 | Orlando |
| 50th (median) | $99,331 | $99,683 | Tampa |
| 75th | $127,354 | $129,755 | Tampa |
| 90th | $163,009 | $168,609 | Tampa |
Twelve months of median gross rent equals 21% of the civil engineers median wage in Orlando and 19% in Tampa (a lens, not a budget). BLS estimates 3,720 such workers in Orlando and 4,190 in Tampa. Per 10,000 commuting workers that is 32.7 versus 33.3, ranking 25th and 24th of 75 metros (middle value 26.8). These are employment estimates, not open vacancies.
A role-specific offer checklist for this comparison
Match the actual work: Civil engineering pay varies by public infrastructure, private consulting, licensure and specialty. Consider the mix of employers in each metro. Before treating the median difference as a personal salary difference, confirm that both positions share responsibilities, experience requirements and hours, and compare written offers with local rent quotes. The full checklist has the steps.
How reliable are the surrounding housing estimates?
These ACS medians are 2020–2024 five-year metro estimates with published margins of error. Household income covers households, not workers in this occupation.
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| ACS metro context | Orlando | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent (± MOE) | $1,760 ± $11 | $1,628 ± $11 |
| Median household income (± MOE) | $78,533 ± $807 | $74,392 ± $621 |
Neither displayed rent nor income estimate crosses the site’s 30% relative-MOE caution threshold. Sampling uncertainty still applies. The 30% flag is our editorial rule, not a Census certification. See the methodology.
How should I use these figures for a relocation decision?
Start with written offers and real housing quotes, then enter them in the browser-only worksheet. Rent is already part of the price parity, so do not subtract it again from a price-adjusted salary. These comparisons are not placement, tax or financial advice.