SOC 17-2051.01Bright outlook

    Transportation Engineers

    Develop plans for surface transportation projects, according to established engineering standards and state or federal construction policy.

    Median pay
    $100,840
    Growth
    +6.4%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    22,700
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Civil engineers"

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $68,240
    Median
    $100,840
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $163,220
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    367,840 people work in this occupation.

    What transportation engineers do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    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.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    73 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    68 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    19 / 100
    Social (S)
    16 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    35 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    57 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    94
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    88
    Working with Computers
    86
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    82
    Getting Information
    81
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    80
    Analyzing Data or Information
    79
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    78
    Documenting/Recording Information
    77
    Processing Information
    77
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Mathematics
    • Time Management
    • Active Listening
    • Systems Analysis

    Knowledge

    • Engineering and Technology
    • Design
    • Transportation
    • Building and Construction
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Physics
    • Administration and Management
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Category Flexibility
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Information Ordering
    • Mathematical Reasoning

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Innovation
    • Perseverance
    • Adaptability
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Airport Engineer · Civil Transportation Engineer · Engineer · Highway Civil Engineer · Highway Engineer · Highway Project Engineer · Project Engineer · Rail Engineer · Road Engineer · Roadway Designer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to transportation engineers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Transportation Engineers$100,840 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Arizona State University Campus Immersion logo
      Arizona State University Campus Immersion

      Tempe, AZ · Construction Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $116,219
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $84,461
      4 yrs after
      $108,548
      Median debt
      $11,634
    3. 3
      Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

      New York, NY · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $108,466
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Columbia University in the City of New York logo
      Columbia University in the City of New York

      New York, NY · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $108,246
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5University of Southern California USC logo
      University of Southern California USC

      Los Angeles, CA · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $81,387
      4 yrs after
      $106,308
      Median debt
      $18,817
    6. 6Oregon State University logo
      Oregon State University

      Corvallis, OR · Construction Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $81,808
      4 yrs after
      $105,964
      Median debt
      $20,875
    7. 7Santa Clara University logo
      Santa Clara University

      Santa Clara, CA · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $105,594
      Median debt
      $21,500
    8. 8Carnegie Mellon University logo
      Carnegie Mellon University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Civil Engineering · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $79,750
      4 yrs after
      $105,199
      Median debt
      $21,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What transportation engineers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Civil Engineering, General
    • Civil Engineering, Other
    • Construction Engineering
    • Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
    • Structural Engineering
    • Transportation and Highway Engineering
    • Water Resources Engineering

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.