Transportation Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Transportation Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $100,840 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 367,840. Wage data is published for 426 locations.
Occupation description
Develop plans for surface transportation projects, according to established engineering standards and state or federal construction policy. Prepare designs, specifications, or estimates for transportation facilities. Plan modifications of existing streets, highways, or freeways to improve traffic flow.
O*NET code
17-2051.01
Job zone
4
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$100,840
Hourly median
$48.48
Employment
367,840
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.88 | 4.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Time Management | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Mathematics | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Active Listening | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.75 | 3.75 |
Typical tasks
- Check construction plans, design calculations, or cost estimations to ensure completeness, accuracy, or conformity to engineering standards or practices.
- Prepare administrative, technical, or statistical reports on traffic-operation matters, such as accidents, safety measures, or pedestrian volume or practices.
- Plan alteration or modification of existing transportation structures to improve safety or function.
- Confer with contractors, utility companies, or government agencies to discuss plans, specifications, or work schedules.
- Present data, maps, or other information at construction-related public hearings or meetings.
- Prepare final project layout drawings that include details such as stress calculations.
- Investigate traffic problems and recommend methods to improve traffic flow or safety.
- Design or prepare plans for new transportation systems or parts of systems, such as airports, commuter trains, highways, streets, bridges, drainage structures, or roadway lighting.
Technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Autodesk Land Desktop
- Bentley GEOPAK Civil Engineering Suite
- Bentley InRoads Suite
- Bentley MicroStation
- Citilabs Cube
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- Cubic Synchro Studio
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- McTrans Center TSIS-CORSIM
- McTrans HCS+
- McTrans TRANSYT-7F
- Microsoft Excel
Transportation Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Transportation Engineers Salary in CAMedian $122,500 · Employment 55,180
- Transportation Engineers Salary in TXMedian $96,860 · Employment 34,870
- Transportation Engineers Salary in FLMedian $98,570 · Employment 23,750
- Transportation Engineers Salary in NYMedian $103,760 · Employment 17,500
- Transportation Engineers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $108,640 · Employment 16,340
- Transportation Engineers Salary in PAMedian $97,850 · Employment 15,870
- Transportation Engineers Salary in New York, NYMedian $107,330 · Employment 15,590
- Transportation Engineers Salary in ILMedian $99,760 · Employment 13,910
- Transportation Engineers Salary in COMedian $101,420 · Employment 13,290
- Transportation Engineers Salary in NCMedian $100,730 · Employment 12,810
- Transportation Engineers Salary in WAMedian $110,000 · Employment 12,590
- Transportation Engineers Salary in Houston, TXMedian $100,950 · Employment 12,140
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.