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Transportation Engineers in Washington

Transportation Engineers in Washington

Want to work as a Transportation Engineers in Washington? 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 Washington?

For a transportation engineers working in Washington, the median annual wage is $105,090 per year (or roughly $50.52/hour).Annual wages span from $80,650 at the 10th percentile to $155,010 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $80,650 $38.77
25th percentile $88,400 $42.50
Median (50th) $105,090 $50.52
75th percentile $129,830 $62.42
90th percentile $155,010 $74.53
Salary ranges for Transportation Engineers in Washington

The job concentration index in Washington compared to the national average — is 1.46, meaning 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 Washington median.

Transportation Engineers earnings in Washington vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

National employment for 388,857 transportation engineers across the United States. In Washington alone, approximately 11,900 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 4,130 transportation engineers.

Transportation Engineers in Washington vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Transportation Engineers

Top Washington Metros for Transportation Engineers

The largest metro-area employers of transportation engineers in Washington.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7,250 $107,930
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 840 $102,530
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 610 $97,570
Kennewick-Richland, WA 500 $121,170
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 260 $102,140
Bellingham, WA 230 $104,730
Walla Walla, WA 210 $119,080
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 190 $95,170
Yakima, WA 190 $97,590
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 140 $95,170
Longview-Kelso, WA 50 $88,400

Top States for Transportation Engineers Employment

These states have the highest employment of 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

Top transportation engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.9 / 5
0
5
Time Management  3.9 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Engineering and Technology  4.9 / 5
0
5
Design  4.8 / 5
0
5
Transportation  4.5 / 5
0
5
Building and Construction  4.2 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  4.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.7 / 5
0
5

Abilities

Top abilities for transportation engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5
Problem Sensitivity  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5
Inductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Deductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
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

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D In-demand technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

  • Civil Engineering
  • Construction Engineering

Related occupations to transportation engineers include:

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

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