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Transportation design engineer salary
Average transportation design engineer salary
$70,042
Understanding Transportation Design Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Transportation Design Engineer stands at $70,042 annually, equating to approximately $34 per hour. This role involves not only designing transportation systems but also evaluating their effectiveness and safety. The demand for skilled engineers in this area is growing, with salaries reflecting the complexity and importance of their work.
Salary Variability by Experience
Experience significantly influences earning potential. Entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while seasoned professionals with extensive portfolios can command salaries exceeding $90,000. Factors such as geographic location and industry specialization also play a critical role in salary differences.
Top-Paying States for Transportation Design Engineers
States like California, Texas, and New York consistently offer the highest salaries due to their active infrastructure projects and urban development initiatives. In these regions, design engineers enjoy a vibrant job market and competitive compensation packages.
Opportunities in Diverse Industries
Transportation Design Engineers can find rewarding positions in government agencies, private consultancy firms, and non-profits focused on sustainable development. As urban populations grow, the need for innovative transportation solutions continues to rise, making this a promising career path.
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Where can a Transportation Design Engineer earn more?
Transportation design engineer salaries by experience level
Transportation design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average transportation design engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for transportation design engineers are California, Oregon, and Virginia. The lowest average transportation design engineer salary states are Utah, Ohio, and Georgia.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for transportation design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $97,612 | $46.93 |
| 2 | Oregon | $77,433 | $37.23 |
| 3 | Virginia | $76,656 | $36.85 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $74,002 | $35.58 |
| 5 | Vermont | $72,260 | $34.74 |
| 6 | New York | $75,031 | $36.07 |
| 7 | Washington | $69,744 | $33.53 |
| 8 | Nevada | $71,734 | $34.49 |
| 9 | Texas | $67,734 | $32.56 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $71,198 | $34.23 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $69,086 | $33.21 |
| 12 | Mississippi | $69,965 | $33.64 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $69,505 | $33.42 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $74,316 | $35.73 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $63,881 | $30.71 |
| 16 | Illinois | $67,716 | $32.56 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $67,256 | $32.33 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $67,344 | $32.38 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $65,529 | $31.50 |
| 20 | Delaware | $66,765 | $32.10 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $66,484 | $31.96 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $65,954 | $31.71 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $67,974 | $32.68 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $65,447 | $31.46 |
| 25 | Colorado | $66,515 | $31.98 |
| 26 | Montana | $64,196 | $30.86 |
| 27 | Alaska | $65,912 | $31.69 |
| 28 | Kansas | $65,551 | $31.51 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $65,600 | $31.54 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $64,956 | $31.23 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $65,803 | $31.64 |
| 32 | Alabama | $63,108 | $30.34 |
| 33 | Idaho | $64,463 | $30.99 |
| 34 | Arizona | $63,400 | $30.48 |
| 35 | Maryland | $65,627 | $31.55 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $64,834 | $31.17 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $61,902 | $29.76 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $65,874 | $31.67 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $63,027 | $30.30 |
| 40 | Indiana | $62,602 | $30.10 |
| 41 | Michigan | $58,875 | $28.31 |
| 42 | Utah | $60,198 | $28.94 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $61,296 | $29.47 |
| 44 | Iowa | $60,539 | $29.11 |
| 45 | Florida | $62,928 | $30.25 |
| 46 | Ohio | $60,029 | $28.86 |
| 47 | Maine | $60,256 | $28.97 |
| 48 | Georgia | $59,911 | $28.80 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $55,802 | $26.83 |
| 50 | Missouri | $60,219 | $28.95 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $59,396 | $28.56 |
Highest paying cities for transportation design engineers
The highest-paying cities for transportation design engineers are Monrovia, CA, Lake Oswego, OR, and Virginia Beach, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monrovia, CA | $93,401 | $44.90 |
| 2 | Lake Oswego, OR | $77,234 | $37.13 |
| 3 | Virginia Beach, VA | $76,790 | $36.92 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $75,246 | $36.18 |
| 5 | Newark, NJ | $74,278 | $35.71 |
| 6 | Worcester, MA | $74,157 | $35.65 |
| 7 | Vancouver, WA | $70,434 | $33.86 |
| 8 | Dallas, TX | $68,414 | $32.89 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $67,949 | $32.67 |
| 10 | Colorado Springs, CO | $66,910 | $32.17 |
| 11 | Newark, DE | $66,752 | $32.09 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $65,904 | $31.68 |
| 13 | Providence, RI | $65,775 | $31.62 |
| 14 | Baltimore, MD | $65,682 | $31.58 |
| 15 | Concord, NH | $65,415 | $31.45 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh, PA | $64,882 | $31.19 |
| 17 | Juneau, AK | $64,816 | $31.16 |
| 18 | Rochester, MN | $64,730 | $31.12 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $64,299 | $30.91 |
| 20 | Bismarck, ND | $63,527 | $30.54 |
Transportation design engineer salary details
A transportation design engineer's salary ranges from $54,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $90,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a transportation design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $70,042 | $5,837 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
Highest paying transportation design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of transportation design engineers are engineer, traffic engineer, and design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Traffic Engineer | $87,079 | $7,257 | $41.86 | 5,561 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
| Transportation Engineer | $68,945 | $5,745 | $33.15 | 20,388 |
Top companies hiring transportation design engineers now:
Which companies pay transportation design engineers the most?
Transportation design engineer salaries at Woods Services and DISH Network are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average transportation design engineer salary at companies like SCJ Alliance and Amec Foster Wheeler are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woods Services | $81,444 | $39.16 |
| 2 | DISH Network | $76,349 | $36.71 |
| 3 | SCJ Alliance | $76,055 | $36.56 |
| 4 | Amec Foster Wheeler | $76,055 | $36.56 |
| 5 | Jacobs Enterprises | $76,030 | $36.55 |
| 6 | Maryland State Highway Administration | $76,026 | $36.55 |
| 7 | HDR | $73,329 | $35.25 |
| 8 | DuBois & King | $72,157 | $34.69 |
| 9 | Maryland Transportation Authority | $71,557 | $34.40 |
| 10 | Obec | $70,696 | $33.99 |
| 11 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $70,581 | $33.93 |
| 12 | TAD PGS | $70,335 | $33.81 |
| 13 | PRIME AE Group | $70,012 | $33.66 |
| 14 | Talascend Worldwide Technical Resources | $69,930 | $33.62 |
| 15 | GEI Consultants | $69,646 | $33.48 |
| 16 | Colliers Engineering & Design | $69,478 | $33.40 |
| 17 | Mccormick Taylor, Inc. | $68,852 | $33.10 |
| 18 | Syska Hennessy Group | $68,619 | $32.99 |
| 19 | Nitsch Engineering | $68,595 | $32.98 |
| 20 | RK&K | $68,546 | $32.95 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Transportation Design Engineer salary by industry
The average transportation design engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average transportation design engineer salary in the construction industry is $76,122, the highest of any industry.
- The average transportation design engineer salary in the finance industry is $70,132.
- Transportation design engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $66,639, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for transportation design engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction | $76,122 | $36.60 |
| 2 | Government | $70,132 | $33.72 |
| 3 | Telecommunication | $68,627 | $32.99 |
| 4 | Professional | $68,048 | $32.72 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $66,639 | $32.04 |
High paying transportation design engineer jobs
Transportation design engineer salary trends
The average transportation design engineer salary has risen by $8,367 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average transportation design engineer earned $61,675 annually, but today, they earn $70,042 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for transportation design engineers over the last decade.
Compare transportation design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average transportation design engineer salary over time
Compare transportation design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Transportation design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,000 | $33.67 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $68,800 | $33.10 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $68,500 | $32.94 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $67,000 | $32.23 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $66,100 | $31.76 | +1.6% |
Recently added transportation design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Ohio | Transportation Engineer 3-Roadway Design, PN 20060768 | Sidney, OH | 06/29/2025 | $78,325 |
| CDM Smith | Transportation Engineer 4-Civil/Site Design | Chicago, IL | 06/27/2025 | $85,654 |
| City of Phoenix (Az | Traffic Signal Design Engineer (Traffic Engineer III)-Street Transportation Department | Phoenix, AZ | 06/26/2025 | $93,121 |
| Civil Science | Transportation Design Engineer | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/26/2025 | $95,000 |
| Ardmore Roderick | Transportation Design Engineer-2506230Cw01 | Chicago, IL | 06/25/2025 | $72,800 |
| Actalent | Transportation Design Engineer | Decatur, IL | 06/25/2025 | $85,275 |
| SSI Staffing | Transportation Designer | Dallas, TX | 06/11/2025 | $73,045 |
| Graham & Associates | Design Engineer-Transportation | Houston, TX | 06/10/2025 | $80,000 |
| Fehr & Peers | Experienced Transportation Design Engineer | Riverside, CA | 06/09/2025 | $90,000 |
| Fehr & Peers | Experienced Transportation Design Engineer | Portland, OR | 06/09/2025 | $110,000 |
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