Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RIC

Transportation Engineers

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.

Also called: Engineer, Project Engineer, Traffic Engineer, Transportation Engineer, Rail Engineer, Roadway Designer, Roadway Engineer, State Roadway Design Engineer.

O*NET 17-2051.01

At a glance

US median annual pay: $100,840; Middle half earn $79,930 to $129,680. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 77% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +5% · Faster than average; 368,900 jobs in 2024, projected 387,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Civil engineers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Mathematics3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.9 / 5
Design4.8 / 5
Transportation4.5 / 5
Building and Construction4.2 / 5
Mathematics4.2 / 5
English Language3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic73
Investigative68
Artistic19
Social16
Enterprising35
Conventional57

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

civil engineer · DE Bauingenieur/Bauingenieurin · FR ingénieur génie civil/ingénieure génie civil
construction engineer · DE Bauingenieur Gebäudetechnik/Bauingenieurin Gebäudetechnik · FR ingénieur travaux/ingénieure travaux
rail project engineer · DE Projektingenieur Bahn/Projektingenieurin Bahn · FR ingénieure ferroviaire/ingénieure ferroviaire
transport engineer · DE Verkehrsingenieur/Verkehrsingenieurin · FR ingénieur infrastructures de transport/ingénieure infrastructures de transport
land planner · DE Raumplaner/Raumplanerin · FR chef de projet aménagement
transport planner · DE Verkehrsplaner/Verkehrsplanerin · FR responsable des transports et déplacements

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
Civil engineers (2121)94,100 employed
Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants (2452)51,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.28. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2051).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test