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What does a Civil Engineers salary really buy you in Alaska?
Alaska is 2.0% pricier than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Alaska's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 102.0, meaning prices are 2.0% higher the national average. A Civil Engineers earning $114,730 in Alaska has the equivalent purchasing power of $112,480 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Alaska's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $78,940 | $77,392 | $-1,547 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $94,960 | $93,098 | $-1,861 |
| Median (P50) | $114,730 | $112,480 | $-2,249 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $134,280 | $131,647 | $-2,632 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $163,420 | $160,215 | $-3,204 |
Alaska's cost of living is close to the national average, so $114,730 keeps most of its value at $112,480 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 102.0, Alaska is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Civil Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Alaska's cost of living, $114,730 nominal nets out to $112,480 in real purchasing power — a small 2.0% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Civil Engineers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Civil Engineers, Alaska places #7 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Civil Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Alaska ranks #7 out of 51 states for Civil Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Civil Engineers take-home pay in Alaska after taxes →
A Civil Engineers in Alaska earns a median salary of $114,730 per year. After adjusting for Alaska's cost of living (RPP=102.0), the real purchasing power is $112,480 — a -2.0% difference.
Alaska's cost of living is 2.0% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Alaska is 102.0 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Civil Engineers in Alaska: $114,730 x (100 / 102.0) = $112,480. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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