Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ICR
Transportation Planners
Prepare studies for proposed transportation projects. Gather, compile, and analyze data. Study the use and operation of transportation systems. Develop transportation models or simulations.
Also called: Planner, Program Officer, Transportation Data Programs Manager, Transportation Planner, Transportation Analyst.
O*NET 19-3099.01
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $101,110
- Middle half earn $80,860 to $129,960. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 55% 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.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.
- Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.
- Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.
- Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
- Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.
- Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.
- Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.
- Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Writing4.0 / 5
- Speaking4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Transportation4.8 / 5
- English Language3.9 / 5
- Mathematics3.9 / 5
- Geography3.7 / 5
- Law and Government3.7 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.5 / 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.
- Realistic43
- Investigative77
- Artistic17
- Social13
- Enterprising36
- Conventional65
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)
- airport planning engineer · DE Planungsingenieur Flughafen/Planungsingenieurin Flughafen · FR ingénieur en planification aéroportuaire/ingénieure en planification aéroportuaire
- transport engineer · DE Verkehrsingenieur/Verkehrsingenieurin · FR ingénieur infrastructures de transport/ingénieure infrastructures de transport
- logistics engineer · DE Logistikingenieur/Logistikingenieurin · FR ingénieur logistique/ingénieure logistique
- transport planner · DE Verkehrsplaner/Verkehrsplanerin · FR responsable des transports et déplacements
- rail logistics coordinator · DE Logistikkoordinator Schienenverkehr/Logistikkoordinatorin Schienenverkehr · FR coordinateur logistique ferroviaire/coordinatrice logistique ferroviaire
- ship planner · DE Schiffsplaner/Schiffsplanerin · FR planificateur de navire/planificatrice de navire
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Transport and distribution clerks and assistants (4134)69,500 employed
- Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
- Civil engineers (2121)94,100 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.
| 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 +1.33. 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 (19-3099).
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