Transportation Engineer Salary in the United States
How much does a Transportation Engineer make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Transportation Engineer in the United States is $88,153 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $42.
However, a Transportation Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $107,313
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $81,252 to $98,182
Key Factors That Influence Transportation Engineer Salaries
A Transportation Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Transportation Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Transportation Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $111,187
San Francisco: $109,970
Oakland: $107,652
San Jose, CA$111,187
San Francisco, CA$109,970
Oakland, CA$107,652
New York, NY$101,498
Paramus, NJ$100,264
Queens Village, NY$100,260
Passaic, NJ$100,176
Bergenfield, NJ$100,168
Stamford, CT$99,974
Huntington, NY$99,938
Newark, NJ$99,287
Bridgeport, CT$99,101
Vallejo, CA$98,925
New Brunswick, NJ$98,890
Petaluma, CA$98,837
Middlesex, NJ$98,670
Somerset, NJ$98,608
Santa Cruz, CA$98,493
Boston, MA$97,956
Monterey, CA$97,646
Seattle, WA$97,444
Santa Rosa, CA$97,427
Los Angeles, CA$97,400
Juneau, AK$97,171
Washington, DC$97,074
Orange, CA$96,760
Santa Ana, CA$96,528
Long Beach, CA$96,439
Anaheim, CA$96,422
Anchorage, AK$96,378
Santa Maria, CA$96,113
Everett, WA$96,096
Danbury, CT$95,785
Bremerton, WA$95,664
Tacoma, WA$95,346
New Suffolk, NY$95,345
Sacramento, CA$95,320
Santa Barbara, CA$95,223
Trenton, NJ$95,126
San Diego, CA$95,126
Brockton, MA$95,029
Fairbanks, AK$94,813
Lompoc, CA$94,588
Lowell, MA$94,517
Ventura, CA$94,500
Nashua, NH$94,482
Stockton, CA$94,474
Modesto, CA$93,830
Poughkeepsie, NY$93,636
Olympia, WA$93,469
Kennewick, WA$93,469
New Haven, CT$93,433
Lawrence, MA$93,116
Hartford, CT$93,028
Riverside, CA$93,010
New Bedford, MA$92,922
Richland, WA$92,922
Bakersfield, CA$92,799
San Bernardino, CA$92,763
New Britain, CT$92,755
Atlantic City, NJ$92,755
New London, CT$92,719
Norwich, CT$92,693
Portsmouth, NH$92,675
Boulder, CO$92,488
Portland, OR$92,367
Worcester, MA$92,358
Minneapolis, MN$92,085
Philadelphia, PA$91,961
Honolulu, HI$91,670
Saint Paul, MN$91,628
Vineland, NJ$91,609
Providence, RI$91,353
Chicago, IL$91,097
Bellingham, WA$90,992
Springfield, MA$90,921
Baltimore, MD$90,895
Chico, CA$90,674
Pittsfield, MA$90,436
Manchester, NH$90,269
Spokane, WA$89,881
Denver, CO$89,872
Albany, NY$89,458
Troy, NY$89,422
Nassau, NY$89,328
Schenectady, NY$89,237
Wilmington, DE$89,167
Burlington, VT$89,043
Salem, OR$89,008
Portland, ME$88,735
Yakima, WA$88,647
Rochester, MN$88,373
Reno, NV$88,329
Fresno, CA$88,329
Milwaukee, WI$88,250
Detroit, MI$88,162
Ann Arbor, MI$88,147
Allentown, PA$88,135
Colorado Springs, CO$87,986
Syracuse, NY$87,941
Carson City, NV$87,941
Houston, TX$87,818
Eugene, OR$87,774
Gary, IN$87,668
Springfield, OR$87,598
Bismarck, ND$87,580
Galveston, TX$87,518
Medford, OR$87,386
Fort Collins, CO$87,351
Concord, NH$87,307
Austin, TX$87,280
Mesa, AZ$87,095
Reading, PA$87,086
Phoenix, AZ$87,078
Dallas, TX$87,051
Saint Cloud, MN$86,966
Madison, WI$86,848
Utica, NY$86,610
Rochester, NY$86,469
Des Moines, IA$86,460
Raleigh, NC$86,452
Atlanta, GA$86,319
Battle Creek, MI$86,293
Salt Lake City, UT$86,267
Lancaster, PA$86,134
Harrisburg, PA$86,011
Kansas City, MO$85,923
Champaign, IL$85,905
Kansas City, KS$85,905
Fort Worth, TX$85,896
Columbus, OH$85,881
Boca Raton, FL$85,861
Pittsburgh, PA$85,826
Richmond, VA$85,790
Indianapolis, IN$85,773
Cleveland, OH$85,764
Las Vegas, NV$85,658
Cincinnati, OH$85,658
Petersburg, VA$85,526
Huntsville, AL$85,394
Lansing, MI$85,335
Lebanon, PA$85,323
Pueblo, CO$85,314
Appleton, WI$85,288
Buffalo, NY$85,253
Dayton, OH$85,226
Racine, WI$85,209
Charlotte, NC$85,200
Saint Louis, MO$85,173
York, PA$85,121
Elkhart, IN$85,121
Gastonia, NC$85,104
Billings, MT$85,083
Beaumont, TX$85,059
Lorain, OH$85,041
Benton Harbor, MI$85,024
Toledo, OH$85,006
Binghamton, NY$84,962
Rock Hill, SC$84,953
Rockford, IL$84,909
Springfield, IL$84,874
Elyria, OH$84,865
Fargo, ND$84,865
Flagstaff, AZ$84,803
Fort Lauderdale, FL$84,750
Duluth, MN$84,697
Miami, FL$84,697
Cheyenne, WY$84,636
Grand Forks, ND$84,636
Bangor, ME$84,442
Cedar Rapids, IA$84,345
Durham, NC$84,308
Louisville, KY$84,301
Grand Rapids, MI$84,283
Hialeah, FL$84,274
Casper, WY$84,151
Scranton, PA$84,045
New Orleans, LA$84,019
Virginia Beach, VA$84,010
Akron, OH$83,966
Peoria, IL$83,851
Sarasota, FL$83,834
Nashville, TN$83,772
Omaha, NE$83,772
Green Bay, WI$83,772
Baton Rouge, LA$83,728
Charleston, SC$83,710
Jamestown, NY$83,666
Davenport, IA$83,666
Tucson, AZ$83,622
Saint Petersburg, FL$83,569
Tampa, FL$83,551
Evansville, IN$83,499
Port Arthur, TX$83,499
Bradenton, FL$83,463
Santa Fe, NM$83,305
Orlando, FL$83,146
Clearwater, FL$83,119
Canton, OH$82,934
La Crosse, WI$82,934
Albuquerque, NM$82,881
Newport News, VA$82,873
High Point, NC$82,846
Ogden, UT$82,811
Corpus Christi, TX$82,740
Norfolk, VA$82,688
Laramie, WY$82,688
Rock Island, IL$82,635
Saginaw, MI$82,617
Jacksonville, FL$82,608
Salisbury, NC$82,591
Boise, ID$82,573
Moline, IL$82,529
Fort Myers, FL$82,502
Memphis, TN$82,485
Tulsa, OK$82,441
Waterloo, IA$82,388
Spartanburg, SC$82,300
Lincoln, NE$82,256
Fort Wayne, IN$82,238
Provo, UT$82,229
Cedar Falls, IA$82,123
San Antonio, TX$82,088
Greensboro, NC$82,053
South Bend, IN$82,044
Savannah, GA$81,947
Muskegon, MI$81,912
Birmingham, AL$81,903
Winston Salem, NC$81,860
Lake Charles, LA$81,647
Anderson, IN$81,630
Lexington, KY$81,603
Augusta, GA$81,577
Greenville, SC$81,577
Lima, OH$81,506
Wichita, KS$81,497
Tuscaloosa, AL$81,497
Columbia, SC$81,418
Springfield, OH$81,400
Asheville, NC$81,259
Bloomington, IN$81,198
Knoxville, TN$80,880
Shreveport, LA$80,872
Wilmington, NC$80,757
Roanoke, VA$80,757
Topeka, KS$80,598
Frankfort, KY$80,589
Oklahoma City, OK$80,528
Chillicothe, OH$80,493
Longview, TX$80,484
Melbourne, FL$80,475
Sioux Falls, SD$80,334
Mobile, AL$80,325
Terre Haute, IN$80,290
Altoona, PA$80,237
Amarillo, TX$80,175
Killeen, TX$80,149
Fayetteville, AR$80,078
Chattanooga, TN$80,052
Sioux City, IA$79,972
Idaho Falls, ID$79,955
Lynchburg, VA$79,884
Gainesville, FL$79,770
Portsmouth, OH$79,726
Little Rock, AR$79,708
Lafayette, LA$79,673
Youngstown, OH$79,673
Daytona Beach, FL$79,620
Clarksville, TN$79,611
Pensacola, FL$79,602
Temple, TX$79,596
Hopkinsville, KY$79,338
Erie, PA$79,320
Florence, SC$79,285
Charleston, WV$79,144
Great Falls, MT$79,100
Macon, GA$78,976
Tallahassee, FL$78,967
Fayetteville, NC$78,950
Waco, TX$78,932
Helena, MT$78,870
Pine Bluff, AR$78,837
Vincennes, IN$78,729
Lubbock, TX$78,694
Alamogordo, NM$78,641
Twin Falls, ID$78,562
Rapid City, SD$78,536
Jackson, MS$78,377
Huntington, WV$78,371
Greenville, MS$78,368
Parkersburg, WV$78,278
Montgomery, AL$78,262
Wichita Falls, TX$78,174
Springfield, MO$78,174
Biloxi, MS$78,130
Monroe, LA$78,042
Johnstown, PA$77,980
Sumter, SC$77,945
Columbus, GA$77,936
Pascagoula, MS$77,769
Abilene, TX$77,769
Kingsport, TN$77,539
Albany, GA$77,539
Gulfport, MS$77,513
Alexandria, LA$77,222
Fort Smith, AR$77,002
El Paso, TX$76,764
Las Cruces, NM$76,367
Harlingen, TX$76,143
Pocatello, ID$76,129
Florence, AL$76,014
Brownsville, TX$75,997
Mcallen, TX$75,812
Dothan, AL$75,688
Columbus, MS$75,165
Altus, OK$74,754
Lawton, OK$74,586
Pierre, SD$74,269
What Skills Can Increase a Transportation Engineer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Planning (Mentioned in 10.1% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
AutoCAD (Mentioned in 2.32% Job Postings): AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers.
Sustainability (Mentioned in 1.26% Job Postings): Sustainability is a societal goal that broadly aims for humans to safely co-exist on planet Earth over a long time. Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and therefore vary in the literature and over time.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Transportation Engineer's salary.
AWS: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Systems Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Electrical Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Transportation Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Transportation Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 55% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average.
In contrast, Transportation Engineer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Transportation Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Transportation Engineer
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$114,599
$55.0
30%
Biotechnology
$105,784
$51.0
20%
Financial Services
$105,784
$51.0
20%
Software & Networking
$105,784
$51.0
20%
Energy & Utilities
$101,376
$49.0
15%
How Education impacts a Transportation Engineer's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Transportation Engineers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Transportation Engineer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$78,234
and $82,610).
Transportation Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Transportation Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$81,252
Average$88,153/year
$98,182
$6,771
Average$7,346/month
$8,182
$1,563
Average$1,695/week
$1,888
$39
Average$42/hour
$47
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$98,182
$8,182
$1,888
$47
Average
$88,153
$7,346
$1,695
$42
25th Percentile
$81,252
$6,771
$1,563
$39
Salaries of Jobs related to Transportation Engineer
Salaries for a Transportation Engineer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $92,367 in 2023
to around $90,236 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Transportation Engineer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Transportation Engineer Over Time
$???
$92,367
$91,292
$90,236
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$92,367
2024
$91,292
2025
$90,236
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Transportation Engineer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Transportation Engineer
Here are companies hiring for Transportation Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Transportation Engineer Job
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FAQ about Transportation Engineer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Transportation Engineer?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Transportation Engineer roles,
with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
