The salary statistics of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer 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].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $43,830 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $60,640 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $67,540 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $70,140 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $79,580 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer is $79,580. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $67,540. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $43,830. Note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 81% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer from 2012 to 2022. Note that there is no salary data for some years between 2012 and 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Growth | 3-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $67,540 | 5.48% | 10.78% |
| 2021 | $63,840 | 9.35% | - |
| 2020 | $57,870 | -4.13% | - |
| 2019 | $60,260 | - | - |
The average salaries of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer in 3 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 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer occupations is the federal, state, and local government sector with an annual salary $80,150. The lowest paying sector is the manufacturing sector (annual salary $50,060).
| Industry Sector | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Federal, State, and Local Government | |
| Transportation and Warehousing | |
| Manufacturing |
From the above tables we note that not only railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $39,290 to $88,000. The highest paying state for railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer is Indiana with a median annual salary of $88,000. The lowest paying state is Georgia with a median annual salary of $39,290. For more salary information of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firer profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.