Home › Careers › Traffic technicians

How to become a traffic technician

Transportation · SOC 53-6041

$59,090US median pay, 2025
+4%Projected growth, 2025–35
900Openings per year
On the jobUsual way in

How you get in

Most people are hired and trained on the job, so school is optional. A program can still help you stand out.

  1. High school diploma or equivalent (a program is optional for this job)
  2. Moderate-term on-the-job training
  3. Work as a traffic technician

Programs that lead to this job

These are the federal program codes (CIP) that the Department of Education maps to this occupation, and how many US colleges, community colleges or trade schools report awarding credentials in each.

ProgramCodeSchools
Civil Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCIP 15.0201127
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/StudiesCIP 44.04033

See the 128 schools that offer these programs →

Common questions

How long does it take to become a traffic technician?
Typically no schooling after high school, then a few months to a year of training on the job. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.
How much do traffic technicians make?
The US median is $59,090 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.
Do you need a degree to become a traffic technician?
No. Most people are hired and trained on the job; a program is optional.
Where can you train to become a traffic technician?
128 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →

Pay and growth are national figures. What you earn depends on where you work, your employer and your experience, and these are projections rather than promises. Education requirements describe how most people enter the job, not a rule — plenty of people take another route.

Pay, growth, openings and entry requirements: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Program-to-occupation mapping: NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk (2020/2018). School counts: IPEDS completions, 2022–23.

Related careers in Transportation

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers · Light truck drivers · Industrial truck and tractor operators · Bus drivers, school · Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs · Bus drivers, transit and intercity · Flight attendants · Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers