Traffic Technicians
What Traffic Technicians Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 1.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- 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.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.9/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.9/5
- Transportationimportance 3.9/5
- English Languageimportance 3.6/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.5/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.6/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.3/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3/5
- Time Pressure4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health95% skill match
- Medical Dosimetrists95% skill match
- Air Traffic Controllers95% skill match
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians94% skill match
- Airfield Operations Specialists93% skill match
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors93% skill match
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons93% skill match
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists92% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.0/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- Dowling Associates TRAFFIX
- ESRI ArcView
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- JAMAR Technologies PETRAPro
- Pd' Programming Intersection Magic
- Structure query language SQL
- Traffic control software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
- Achievement Orientation
- Adaptability
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where traffic technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Chattanooga, TN-GA8.06× national avg
- 2Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA6.68× national avg
- 3Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY5.61× national avg
- 4Springfield, MO4.02× national avg
- 5Memphis, TN-MS-AR3.03× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Construction and Building InspectorsCareer Change
- Air Traffic ControllersLateral Move
- Surveying and Mapping TechniciansCareer Change
- Occupational Health and Safety TechniciansCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Public Administration
- Indiana University-Bloomington (Bloomington, IN)grads earn ~$77,422
- Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)grads earn ~$115,874
- Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)grads earn ~$177,149
- New York University (New York, NY)grads earn ~$109,946
- Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$76,752