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Transportation Planners in Iowa

Transportation Planners in Iowa

Want to work as a Transportation Planners in Iowa? Here’s what the data says. All social scientists and related workers not listed separately.

What do Transportation Planners Make in Iowa?

The transportation planners working in Iowa, the typical annual salary is $87,590 per year (or roughly $42.11/hour).Annual wages span from $62,980 at the 10th percentile to $132,090 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $62,980 $30.28
25th percentile $72,630 $34.92
Median (50th) $87,590 $42.11
75th percentile $104,470 $50.22
90th percentile $132,090 $63.51
Salary ranges for Transportation Planners in Iowa

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Iowa compared to the national average — is 0.34, indicating fewer transportation planners per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, transportation planners earn a median of $50,855 per year ($24.45/hour), above the Iowa median.

Transportation Planners earnings in Iowa vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 41,813 transportation planners across the United States. In Iowa alone, approximately 130 people work in this role. That’s below the typical state, which employs around 320 transportation planners.

Transportation Planners in Iowa vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Transportation Planners

Top Iowa Metros for Transportation Planners

The largest metro-area employers of transportation planners in Iowa.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 50 $82,830
Iowa City, IA 40 $87,970

Top States for Transportation Planners Employment

These states have the highest employment of transportation planners work.

State Number Employed
Virginia 4,390
New York 3,090
District of Columbia 2,700
California 2,650
Maryland 2,520
Texas 2,480
North Carolina 1,660
Ohio 1,560
Florida 1,560
Georgia 1,330
Washington 1,070
Minnesota 910
Colorado 790
Pennsylvania 750
Michigan 720
Arizona 700
Illinois 650
Massachusetts 430
Louisiana 410
Kentucky 370

Highest-Paying States for Transportation Planners

Where transportation planners earn the most: transportation planners.

State Annual Median Salary
Virginia $144,320
Maryland $129,750
District of Columbia $122,320
Washington $107,100
Massachusetts $104,770
New York $102,570
Connecticut $102,150
Hawaii $102,000
California $101,110
Colorado $101,000

Skills

Key transportation planners skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  4.0 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Transportation  4.8 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.9 / 5
0
5
Geography  3.7 / 5
0
5
Law and Government  3.7 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.5 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for transportation planners, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Fluency of Ideas  4.0 / 5
0
5
Deductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Inductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, transportation planners typically:

  • Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.
  • Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.
  • Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.
  • Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.
  • Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.
  • Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.
  • Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.
  • Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.
  • Design transportation surveys to identify areas of public concern.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to develop sustainable transportation strategies at the local, regional, or national level.
  • Evaluate transportation project needs or costs.
  • Analyze information from traffic counting programs.

Work Activities

  • Getting Information
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Working with Computers
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
  • Processing Information
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies
  • Thinking Creatively
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign In-demand technologies: ESRI ArcGIS software, Geographic information system GIS systems

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

Related occupations to transportation planners include:

Also Known As

Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (ATSS), Fleet Coordinator, Planner, Program Officer, Traffic Analyst, Transit Planner, Transportation Analyst, Transportation Consultant, Transportation Data Programs Manager, Transportation Designer, Transportation Logistics Analyst, Transportation Management Consultant, Transportation Modeler, Transportation Operations Specialist, Transportation Planner.

References

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