National » Transportation and Material Moving » Rail Transportation Workers

Rail Transportation Worker Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of rail transportation workers are shown in Table 1. The average hourly salary of rail transportation workers in the United States is shown in Table 2. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of rail transportation workers within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The rail transportation workers annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Rail Transportation Worker Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$47,600
25th Percentile Wage
$60,920
50th Percentile Wage
$68,960
75th Percentile Wage
$78,770
90th Percentile Wage
$89,180

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for rail transportation workers. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) rail transportation workers is $89,180. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $68,960. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $47,600. Take note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 87% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of rail transportation workers from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$68,960
6.95% 23.27%
2021
$64,170
-0.37% -
2020
$64,410
-0.75% -
2019
$64,890
4.84% -
2018
$61,750
2.20% -
2017
$60,390
4.39% -
2016
$57,740
3.19% -
2015
$55,900
2.72% -
2014
$54,380
1.08% -
2013
$53,790
1.64% -
2012
$52,910
- -

Table 2. Rail Transportation Worker Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of rail transportation workers in 10 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for rail transportation workers occupations is the federal, state, and local government sector with an annual salary $75,270. The lowest paying sector is the accommodation and food services sector (annual salary $30,840).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Federal, State, and Local Government
$75,270
Transportation and Warehousing
$68,490
Mining
$64,980
Manufacturing
$59,330
Wholesale Trade
$45,670
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$44,850
Construction
$38,400
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$35,480
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$31,190
Accommodation and Food Services
$30,840

Table 3. Salaries of Rail Transportation Worker Related Occupations

The average annual salary of rail transportation worker related occupations at the national level is given in Table 3. For more salary information about a specific occupation, use the links below.

Occupation Median Annual Salary
Subway and Streetcar Operators
$88,260
Locomotive Engineers
$74,570
Locomotive Engineers and Operators
$73,770
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
$68,180
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firer
$67,540
Locomotive Firers
$63,820
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators
$57,260
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
$56,340
Other Rail Transportation Workers
$42,280

Related:

💰 Highest paying industries for rail transportation workers.