How To Become A Traffic Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a traffic analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

No one likes to get caught in a traffic jam. You could be the one to keep the traffic moving if you become a traffic analyst. Traffic analysts design transportation and distribution procedures to maximize delivery efficiency. Although the role may differ somewhat depending on the industry or organization, they typically conduct extensive research, analyses, and risk assessments, which help them create strategies and recommend solutions affecting traffic or distribution.

For government positions, traffic analysts will often review plans and traffic impact studies for commercial and residential subdivisions. Based on this information, they will then make recommendations for the flow and control of traffic and street lighting. In other organizations, traffic analysts may focus on logistics and perform duties, including analyzing freight movements and recommending improvements to the domestic and international logistics processes while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

Traffic analysts should have the ability to multi-task and manage multiple high-priority projects. They should also have considerable knowledge of the methods and techniques of traffic data collection. To become a traffic analyst, you'll typically only need a high school diploma along with previous experience in traffic data collection and analysis. Some employers may prefer candidates with an Associate's degree.

ScoreTraffic AnalystUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,962

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.79%

Asian 6.72%

Black or African American 11.63%

Hispanic or Latino 19.42%

Unknown 6.99%

White 52.45%

Gender

female 46.02%

male 53.98%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a traffic analyst

Explore traffic analyst education requirements

Most common traffic analyst degrees

Bachelor's

61.8 %

Associate

17.8 %

High School Diploma

8.3 %

Start to develop specific traffic analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Logistics	15.68%
DOT	9.07%
Forwarders	7.96%
AES	7.51%
Freight Carriers	6.37%

Complete relevant traffic analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New traffic analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a traffic analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real traffic analyst resumes.

Research traffic analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage the account by performing detail cost/benefit analysis and WMS analysis.
Analyze collect freight movements; truckload, LTL, small package.
Act as liaison with internal departments, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and insurance companies for domestic and international shipments.
Identify logistics areas for process improvement and cost savings to ensure achievement of expectations.

Prepare your traffic analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your traffic analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a traffic analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable traffic analyst resume templates

Build a professional traffic analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your traffic analyst resume.