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Transportation Planners in Washington

Transportation Planners in Washington

Thinking about a career as a Transportation Planners in Washington? Here’s what the data says. All social scientists and related workers not listed separately.

What do Transportation Planners Make in Washington?

For a transportation planners working in Washington, wages run about $107,100 per year (or roughly $51.49/hour).Annual wages span from $71,610 at the 10th percentile to $179,250 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $71,610 $34.43
25th percentile $87,280 $41.96
Median (50th) $107,100 $51.49
75th percentile $141,090 $67.83
90th percentile $179,250 $86.18
Salary ranges for Transportation Planners in Washington

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Washington compared to the national average — is 1.26, suggesting that transportation planners are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, transportation planners earn a median of $50,855 per year ($24.45/hour), higher than the Washington median.

Transportation Planners earnings in Washington vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 41,813 transportation planners in the U.S.. In Washington alone, about 1,070 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 320 transportation planners.

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

Top Washington Metros for Transportation Planners

These are the Washington metros with the most transportation planners in Washington.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 670 $105,800
Kennewick-Richland, WA 60 $178,810
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 60 $113,590

Top States for Transportation Planners Employment

View the states that employ the most transportation planners work.

State Number Employed
Virginia 4,390
New York 3,090
District of Columbia 2,700
California 2,650
Maryland 2,520
Texas 2,480
North Carolina 1,660
Ohio 1,560
Florida 1,560
Georgia 1,330
Washington 1,070
Minnesota 910
Colorado 790
Pennsylvania 750
Michigan 720
Arizona 700
Illinois 650
Massachusetts 430
Louisiana 410
Kentucky 370

Highest-Paying States for Transportation Planners

These states pay the most for transportation planners.

State Annual Median Salary
Virginia $144,320
Maryland $129,750
District of Columbia $122,320
Washington $107,100
Massachusetts $104,770
New York $102,570
Connecticut $102,150
Hawaii $102,000
California $101,110
Colorado $101,000

Skills

Key transportation planners skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

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

Transportation  4.8 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.9 / 5
0
5
Geography  3.7 / 5
0
5
Law and Government  3.7 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.5 / 5
0
5

Abilities

Key abilities for transportation planners, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Inductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5
Fluency of Ideas  4.0 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Transportation Planners typically:

  • Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.
  • Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.
  • Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.
  • Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
  • Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.
  • Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.
  • Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.
  • Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.
  • Design transportation surveys to identify areas of public concern.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to develop sustainable transportation strategies at the local, regional, or national level.
  • Evaluate transportation project needs or costs.
  • Analyze information from traffic counting programs.

Work Activities

  • Getting Information
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Working with Computers
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
  • Processing Information
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies
  • Thinking Creatively
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign In-demand technologies: ESRI ArcGIS software, Geographic information system GIS systems

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

  • Educational Assessment

Other careers like transportation planners include:

Also Known As

Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (ATSS), Fleet Coordinator, Planner, Program Officer, Traffic Analyst, Transit Planner, Transportation Analyst, Transportation Consultant, Transportation Data Programs Manager, Transportation Designer, Transportation Logistics Analyst, Transportation Management Consultant, Transportation Modeler, Transportation Operations Specialist, Transportation Planner.

References

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