Transportation Planners
Overview
Introduction
Transportation planners study transportation systems and make recommendations for improvements to existing systems or for new projects. They gather and analyze data, identify transportation planning problems and priorities, and make recommendations for solutions based on population, land-use, traffic, and economic projections. Transportation planners work for local, city, and state government organizations, and for public transport companies, as employees or contractors. Transportation planners are a type of urban and regional plann...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Transportation planners employed in the United States in September 2020 earned a median salary of $58,663, according to PayScale.com. Salaries ranged from $43,000 to $80,000 or more. The Department of Labor (DOL) does not provide salary information for transportation planners, but categorizes the profession as a division of social scientists and related workers. In May 2019, these professionals...
Work Environment
Transportation planners work full-time business hours. They usually work 40 hours per week but may be required to work evenings or weekends to attend public hearings and meetings and when project deadlines are tight. They work primarily indoors, spending much of the work day on computers and in meetings. Some travel is required at times to inspect transportation project sites and to assess envi...
Outlook
Transportation planners will have good employment opportunities in the years to come. Faster than average employment growth is expected for life, physical, and social science occupations, including transportation planning. The Department of Labor projects 5 percent employment growth, which is faster than the average, through 2029. Urban and regional planners will have 11 percent employment grow...