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The differences between transportation planners and urban design consultants 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 an urban design consultant. Additionally, a transportation planner has an average salary of $68,983, which is higher than the $63,960 average annual salary of an urban design consultant.
The top three skills for a transportation planner include customer service, GIS and project management. The most important skills for an urban design consultant are GIS, urban design, and sketch.
| Transportation Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $68,983 | $63,960 |
| Hourly rate | $33.16 | $30.75 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 21,425 | 41,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An urban design consultant is in charge of many projects, and so they have to oversee tasks and plan assignments. They are skilled in creating interior design solutions, space planning, sketching, and product selection. They have to analyze information and data gotten from market research studies and censuses. They also have to do presentations and prepare reports.
Transportation planners and urban design consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Transportation Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Average salary | $68,983 | $63,960 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $93,000 | Between $51,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Perkins&Will |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a transportation planner and an urban design consultant in terms of educational background:
| Transportation Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Urban Planning |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between transportation planners' and urban design consultants' demographics:
| Transportation Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4% | Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |