Transportation Engineers in California
Thinking about a career as a Transportation Engineers in California? Below are the key facts. Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems. Includes architectural, structural, traffic, and geotechnical engineers. Excludes “Hydrologists” (19-2043).
What do Transportation Engineers Make in California?
For transportation engineers working in California, wages run about $118,450 per year (or roughly $56.95/hour).Annual wages span from $77,620 at the 10th percentile to $171,760 at the 90th percentile.
| Wage Statistic | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $77,620 | $37.32 |
| 25th percentile | $94,450 | $45.41 |
| Median (50th) | $118,450 | $56.95 |
| 75th percentile | $145,730 | $70.06 |
| 90th percentile | $171,760 | $82.58 |
The job concentration index in California relative to the national average — is 1.31, indicating that transportation engineers are more concentrated here than the national average.
National Wage Comparison
Nationally, transportation engineers earn a median of $120,210 per year ($57.79/hour), lower than the California median.
Employment Outlook
National employment for 388,857 transportation engineers across the United States. In California alone, around 54,640 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 4,130 transportation engineers.
Top California Metros for Transportation Engineers
The metro areas below employ the most transportation engineers in California.
| Metro Area | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 16,390 | $105,290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 9,920 | $126,560 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 6,390 | $106,350 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 5,190 | $130,310 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,620 | $109,250 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 3,180 | $129,260 |
| Fresno, CA | 1,240 | $110,920 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 760 | $98,160 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 700 | $106,420 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 680 | $110,920 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 610 | $108,010 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 550 | $106,430 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 460 | $115,970 |
| Yuba City, CA | 410 | $117,740 |
| Vallejo, CA | 370 | $113,500 |
| Redding, CA | 330 | $127,130 |
| Modesto, CA | 300 | $103,040 |
| Salinas, CA | 250 | $112,510 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 190 | $116,440 |
| Visalia, CA | 190 | $101,610 |
| Chico, CA | 170 | $94,580 |
| Napa, CA | 160 | $122,820 |
| El Centro, CA | 110 | $106,380 |
| Merced, CA | 50 | $99,600 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 30 | $103,210 |
Top States for Transportation Engineers Employment
The table below shows the states where the most transportation engineers work.
| State | Number Employed |
|---|---|
| California | 54,640 |
| Texas | 33,790 |
| Florida | 22,780 |
| New York | 17,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 14,610 |
| Colorado | 13,510 |
| Illinois | 13,400 |
| North Carolina | 12,670 |
| Washington | 11,900 |
| Virginia | 11,030 |
| Massachusetts | 9,460 |
| Georgia | 8,820 |
| Ohio | 8,520 |
| Michigan | 7,760 |
| South Carolina | 7,460 |
| Wisconsin | 7,050 |
| New Jersey | 6,780 |
| Arizona | 6,270 |
| Alabama | 5,920 |
| Missouri | 5,280 |
Highest-Paying States for Transportation Engineers
Where transportation engineers earn the most: transportation engineers.
| State | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $118,450 |
| Rhode Island | $112,250 |
| Alaska | $107,240 |
| Washington | $105,090 |
| New Mexico | $104,600 |
| Massachusetts | $104,450 |
| Mississippi | $103,940 |
| New Jersey | $103,690 |
| Oregon | $103,070 |
| New York | $102,440 |
Skills
Key transportation engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Abilities
Key abilities for transportation engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Daily Tasks
Day-to-day, transportation engineers typically:
- 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.
- Estimate transportation project costs.
- Design or engineer drainage, erosion, or sedimentation control systems for transportation projects.
- Evaluate traffic control devices or lighting systems to determine need for modification or expansion.
- Prepare project budgets, schedules, or specifications for labor or materials.
Work Activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Working with Computers
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Getting Information
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Processing Information
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Tools & Technology
Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D In-demand technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD
What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?
Programs that train for this career include:
- Civil Engineering
- Construction Engineering
Featured schools near , edit
Related Careers
Careers similar to transportation engineers include:
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
- Construction Managers
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Logistics Engineers
- Project Management Specialists
Also Known As
Airport Engineer, Civil Transportation Engineer, Engineer, Highway Civil Engineer, Highway Engineer, Highway Project Engineer, Project Engineer, Rail Engineer, Road Engineer, Roadway Designer, Roadway Engineer, Roadway Project Engineer, State Roadway Design Engineer, Traffic Engineer, Traffic Operations Engineer.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
- BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- O*NET-SOC code: 17-2051.01
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