Best degree programs for Traffic Technicians, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 122 schools train Traffic Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $59,090 median wage, 7,860 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 122 schools train traffic technicians, graduating 1,326 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians. The job pays a median of $59,090 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About traffic technicians
Conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors influencing traffic conditions, under direction of traffic engineer.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 15.0201 | 1,293 | 97.5% | 120 | $58,970 | $27,000 |
| 2 | CIP 44.0403 | 33 | 2.5% | 3 | $45,374 | $26,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What traffic technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $71,670 | 950 | 1.94× | 11 | 147 |
| North Carolina | $56,800 | 110 | 0.43× | 7 | 122 |
| Alabamalimited | $52,060 | 130 | 1.25× | 1 | 83 |
| Ohio | $61,460 | 210 | 0.74× | 7 | 75 |
| Georgia | $48,110 | 220 | 0.89× | 5 | 64 |
| Wisconsin | $58,940 | 40 | 0.29× | 8 | 56 |
| Minnesota | $77,810 | 60 | 0.40× | 6 | 44 |
| Missourimoderate | $56,720 | 220 | 1.46× | 3 | 37 |
| South Carolinamoderate | $57,080 | 150 | 1.31× | 4 | 37 |
| Kansaslimited | $47,100 | 160 | 2.25× | 1 | 31 |
| New Jersey | $64,240 | 110 | 0.51× | 5 | 29 |
| West Virginialimited | $53,400 | 70 | 1.89× | 2 | 29 |
| Tennesseelimited | $44,970 | 460 | 2.76× | 2 | 28 |
| Texaslimited | $48,770 | 650 | 0.92× | 2 | 28 |
| Iowalimited | $68,100 | 30 | 0.39× | 2 | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | $65,610 | 60 | 0.20× | 5 | 26 |
| Virginia | $62,270 | 90 | 0.45× | 5 | 25 |
| Floridamoderate | $51,220 | 710 | 1.42× | 4 | 20 |
| Michiganmoderate | $37,890 | 100 | 0.45× | 4 | 20 |
| Californialimited | $79,110 | 1,250 | 1.36× | 1 | 18 |
| Nebraskalimited | $61,380 | 40 | 0.86× | 2 | 16 |
| Idaholimited | $57,180 | 70 | 1.71× | 1 | 13 |
| Oklahomalimited | $60,750 | 90 | 1.03× | 1 | 12 |
| Illinoislimited | $70,970 | 40 | 0.12× | 1 | 9 |
| Massachusettslimited | $63,780 | 90 | 0.50× | 2 | 9 |
| Marylandlimited | $60,650 | 140 | 1.04× | 1 | 7 |
| Louisianalimited | $42,710 | 130 | 1.37× | 1 | 5 |
| Washingtonlimited | $71,960 | 70 | 0.39× | 2 | 5 |
| Arizonalimited | $59,980 | 310 | 1.88× | 1 | 4 |
| Connecticutlimited | $50,400 | — | — | 1 | 4 |
| Indianalimited | $71,000 | 120 | 0.72× | 1 | 3 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Study traffic delays by noting times of delays, the numbers of vehicles affected, and vehicle speed through the delay area.
- Interact with the public to answer traffic-related questions, respond to complaints or requests, or discuss traffic control ordinances, plans, policies, or procedures.
- Prepare graphs, charts, diagrams, or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions.
- Analyze data related to traffic flow, accident rates, or proposed development to determine the most efficient methods to expedite traffic flow.
- Prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems.
- Plan, design, and improve components of traffic control systems to accommodate current or projected traffic and to increase usability and efficiency.
- Compute time settings for traffic signals or speed restrictions, using standard formulas.
- Prepare drawings of proposed signal installations or other control devices, using drafting instruments or computer-automated drafting equipment.
Skills
- Active Listening3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Mathematics2.9
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.9
- Computers and Electronics3.9
- Transportation3.9
- English Language3.6
- Engineering and Technology3.5
- Law and Government3.3
Abilities
- Oral Expression3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Inductive Reasoning3.8
- Written Comprehension3.6
- Deductive Reasoning3.4
Core activities
- Getting Information4.3
- Working with Computers4.0
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
- Processing Information3.9
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.8
- Documenting/Recording Information3.8
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Traffic Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Traffic Technicians2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 15.0201Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- 44.0403Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Traffic Technician?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which awarded 1,293 degrees in 2024-25, 97.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Traffic Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Public Administration. Together they graduate about 1,326 people a year.
How much do traffic technicians earn?+
The median is $59,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,090 at the 10th percentile to $85,130 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for traffic technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
122 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do traffic technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Traffic Technician, Transportation Technician, Traffic Control Technician, Traffic Signal Technician (TST) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 53-6041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card