Start with the answer
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians pay in Columbia, MO and Napa, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians is $62,450 per year in Columbia, MO. It is $102,390 per year in Napa, CA. Columbia, MO is 39.0% below Napa, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 17-3022 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 40 wage and salary jobs in Columbia, MO and 40 in Napa, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings