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The differences between traffic engineers and engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an engineer has an average salary of $92,077, which is higher than the $87,079 average annual salary of a traffic engineer.
The top three skills for a traffic engineer include HCS, traffic operations and signal timing. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.
| Traffic Engineer | Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,079 | $92,077 |
| Hourly rate | $41.86 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 5,561 | 618,207 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
The Traffic Engineer is responsible for the design of roadways that provide free traffic flow. In city planning, congested roads are one of the crucial problems that need solving. The Traffic Engineer works with various agencies to gather information to develop and design a customized road network that will decongest roads and prevent bottlenecks. Traffic Engineers are essential personnel, even in building suburban subdivisions and housing projects. A Traffic Engineer's tasks are to conduct assessments of existing road networks and provide suggestions for improving traffic flow and recommend design modifications and alterations
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Traffic engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Traffic Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,079 | $92,077 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $138,000 | Between $65,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Apple | Fort Bend County |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a traffic engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:
| Traffic Engineer | Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between traffic engineers' and engineers' demographics:
| Traffic Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |