National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Highest-paying States for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

The highest-paying states for rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $81,550, New Jersey is the highest paying state for rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers. It is followed by New York (average annual salary $71,580). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	New Jersey	$81,550	$78,300	110
2	New York	$71,580	$71,280	90
3	California	$66,430	$45,470	430
4	Minnesota	$64,980	$48,520	160
5	Illinois	$64,320	$50,250	130
6	West Virginia	$64,030	$60,470	110
7	Missouri	$63,440	$56,140	50
8	Utah	$62,010	$41,840	30
9	Florida	$61,990	$61,430	170
10	Oklahoma	$59,320	$36,210	140
11	Massachusetts	$58,690	$34,560	0
12	Louisiana	$57,910	$34,610	40
13	Nebraska	$57,200	$43,210	100
14	Iowa	$56,160	$38,750	110
15	North Dakota	$53,470	$35,710	70
16	Ohio	$52,930	$47,950	70
17	Alabama	$50,690	$32,910	40
18	Virginia	$50,680	$38,730	50
19	Texas	$50,490	$49,770	390
20	Oregon	$49,510	$40,380	50
21	Wisconsin	$48,810	$47,110	30
22	Mississippi	$48,460	$33,350	0
23	Arkansas	$48,210	$38,400	40
24	Kentucky	$48,120	$47,990	200
25	South Carolina	$46,950	$40,540	30
26	Kansas	$43,840	$34,810	80
27	North Carolina	$39,990	$34,360	230
28	Michigan	$39,400	$32,070	160
29	Tennessee	$39,360	$24,440	90
30	Indiana	$39,250	$31,880	120
31	Colorado	$38,670	$28,270	80
32	Georgia	$35,060	$35,060	230
33	Pennsylvania	$24,770	$19,010	60

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers in those states is not available at this time.