Transportation planner vs city planner

The differences between transportation planners and city planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a transportation planner and a city planner. Additionally, a transportation planner has an average salary of $68,983, which is higher than the $64,562 average annual salary of a city planner.

The top three skills for a transportation planner include customer service, GIS and project management. The most important skills for a city planner are planning commission, GIS, and regional planning.

Transportation planner vs city planner overview

	Transportation Planner	City Planner
Yearly salary	$68,983	$64,562
Hourly rate	$33.16	$31.04
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	21,425	18,747
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Transportation planner vs city planner salary

Transportation planners and city planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Transportation Planner	City Planner
Average salary	$68,983	$64,562
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $93,000	Between $47,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Citi
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between transportation planner and city planner education

There are a few differences between a transportation planner and a city planner in terms of educational background:

	Transportation Planner	City Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Urban Planning
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Transportation planner vs city planner demographics

Here are the differences between transportation planners' and city planners' demographics:

	Transportation Planner	City Planner
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4%	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between transportation planner and city planner duties and responsibilities

Transportation planner example responsibilities.

Manage the carrier scorecard, ensuring using proper mode, SCAC code, tending vs acceptance ratio and other KPI's.
Manage the account by performing detail cost/benefit analysis and WMS analysis.
Prepare and provide dispatch information to suppliers and freight forwarders, so cargo pick-up can be arrange.
Provide extensive interaction and communication with freight forwarders and customs brokers globally.
Work on a variety of transportation planning projects that are NEPA compliant.
Act as the project leader setting up Manugistics, WMS, AS400.

City planner example responsibilities.

Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
Utilize planning relate software and GIS applications; and basic statistics and mathematical calculations.
Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
Construct engaging PowerPoint presentations for clients.

Transportation planner vs city planner skills

Common transportation planner skills

Customer Service, 10%
GIS, 9%
Project Management, 7%
Corridor, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Regional Planning, 5%

Common city planner skills

Planning Commission, 9%
GIS, 7%
Regional Planning, 6%
City Planning, 6%
Community Development, 5%
City Ordinances, 5%

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Transportation Planner vs City Planner

Updated January 8, 2025

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