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The differences between transportation planners and civil engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a transportation planner, becoming a civil engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $68,983 average annual salary of a transportation planner.
The top three skills for a transportation planner include customer service, GIS and project management. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.
| Transportation Planner | Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $68,983 | $70,950 |
| Hourly rate | $33.16 | $34.11 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 21,425 | 26,803 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A transportation planner takes responsibility for developing transportation strategies encompassing transportation needs. Transportation planners work along with government agencies for the selection and development of plans organizing mass transit. They communicate through social media in written, visual, or oral forms. It is part of their duty to design leaflets and questionnaires to communicate and receive feedback from the public. They also take part in meetings more often for note-taking, scheduling, and attendance. They need to be well-versed in algebra, geometry, calculus, and arithmetic.
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Transportation planners and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Transportation Planner | Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $68,983 | $70,950 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $93,000 | Between $51,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Construction |
There are a few differences between a transportation planner and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Transportation Planner | Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between transportation planners' and civil engineers' demographics:
| Transportation Planner | Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 5% |