National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators

Highest-paying States for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators

The highest-paying states for railroad brake, signal, and switch operators (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 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $73,930, South Carolina is the highest paying state for railroad brake, signal, and switch operators. It is followed by Massachusetts (average annual salary $73,590). 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 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	South Carolina	$73,930	$50,490	190
2	Massachusetts	$73,590	$34,950	130
3	Minnesota	$71,980	$45,030	740
4	California	$71,900	$36,590	360
5	Idaho	$70,160	$42,240	150
6	Wisconsin	$64,620	$45,510	300
7	New York	$63,690	$52,250	600
8	Oregon	$63,390	$40,050	250
9	Washington	$63,010	$45,380	160
10	Illinois	$62,400	$42,890	1,100
11	Kansas	$62,370	$43,770	490
12	Missouri	$61,270	$43,350	1,090
13	Michigan	$60,760	$36,540	130
14	North Carolina	$59,420	$27,370	160
15	Maryland	$58,970	$46,400	80
16	New Jersey	$57,560	$44,610	220
17	Nebraska	$57,310	$42,980	350
18	Oklahoma	$56,940	$44,290	260
19	Wyoming	$56,810	$34,300	260
20	New Mexico	$56,810	$41,460	290
21	Ohio	$55,840	$32,350	160
22	Mississippi	$55,820	$35,720	150
23	Arizona	$54,750	$41,330	420
24	Texas	$53,850	$36,550	1,460
25	Montana	$53,120	$41,370	0
26	Pennsylvania	$52,900	$34,510	490
27	West Virginia	$51,300	$35,490	220
28	Tennessee	$51,280	$40,320	400
29	Louisiana	$50,680	$34,180	240
30	Iowa	$50,630	$29,610	650
31	Colorado	$50,500	$40,850	420
32	Indiana	$50,270	$35,310	380
33	Georgia	$50,060	$36,670	1,090
34	Utah	$49,820	$41,450	270
35	Virginia	$45,580	$35,180	270
36	Arkansas	$43,130	$31,080	100
37	South Dakota	$42,980	$32,460	70
38	Alabama	$40,050	$29,180	120
39	Kentucky	$38,920	$32,680	130
40	Florida	$36,270	$19,580	430

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators in those states is not available at this time.