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.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. BLS publishes wages, growth, openings and typical education for the broader occupation "Civil Engineers" (SOC 17-2051), so this career shares them with 2 related careers. Skills, interests and other O*NET details are specific to this career.
State licensing. Transportation Engineers is licensed or registered in 51 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 7 professional certifications to Transportation Engineers. 2 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Highway Construction Inspection, Transportation: Highway Construction Inspection - Level II. Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.7 hours and sit about 6.3 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 5.0 pounds. For 61.5% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (84.0%), have a consistently fast work pace (48.2%), cannot pause their work (under 5%), and are exposed to the outdoors (78.2%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 64 in the occupation group that includes transportation engineers (3 related careers are counted together), median yearly pay is $71,100 with a high school diploma or GED, $85,300 with some college or an associate's degree, $101,500 with a bachelor's degree and $121,800 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of workers in the occupation group that includes transportation engineers (3 related careers are counted together) work in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (60%), Construction (25%), Public Administration (7%) and Manufacturing (2%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes transportation engineers (3 related careers are counted together) are Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (55% of the jobs counted, median pay $100,640), State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (10% of the jobs counted, median pay $102,440), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (10% of the jobs counted, median pay $113,640), Nonresidential Building Construction (8% of the jobs counted, median pay $82,400) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Federal Executive Branch ($117,790), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($113,640), State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($102,440). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among workers in the occupation group that includes transportation engineers (3 related careers are counted together) with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Civil Engineering (41%), General Engineering (9%), Mechanical Engineering (9%) and Electrical Engineering (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Engineers", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 9.7 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 10 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Architecture and engineering", which includes this career, 6.4% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $2,083 for union members and $1,921 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to transportation engineers.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For the occupation group that includes transportation engineers (the Department reports one figure for the 6-digit occupation code, which covers 3 related careers), employers filed 5,944 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 6,441 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $90,000 (the middle half ran from $76,000 to $108,400) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to transportation engineers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for transportation engineers are: telephone conversations (100%), e-mail (100%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (100%), spend time sitting (95%), contact with others (91%), work with or contribute to a work group or team (91%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (36% of 22 respondents) was "none"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (32% of 22 respondents) was "none"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (27% of 22 respondents) was "over 6 months, up to and including 1 year". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to transportation engineers in the work done and the skills used: Civil Engineers, Transportation Planners, Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Traffic Technicians, Highway Maintenance Workers, Construction and Building Inspectors, Construction Managers, Environmental Engineers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare transportation engineers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
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