Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
53-4013 Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.
National estimates for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
Industry profile for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
Geographic profile for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
National estimates for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 2,430 |
4.4 % |
$ 27.69 |
$ 57,580 |
1.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.65 |
$ 23.60 |
$ 27.44 |
$ 30.31 |
$ 36.77 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 38,800 |
$ 49,080 |
$ 57,070 |
$ 63,050 |
$ 76,470 |
Industry profile for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Support Activities for Rail Transportation |
810 |
2.20 |
$ 24.42 |
$ 50,790 |
| Rail Transportation |
1,160 |
0.64 |
$ 29.97 |
$ 62,330 |
| Coal Mining |
50 |
0.13 |
$ 32.96 |
$ 68,560 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
40 |
0.01 |
$ 29.05 |
$ 60,430 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
40 |
0.00 |
$ 33.01 |
$ 68,650 |
Top paying industries for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
40 |
(7) |
$ 33.01 |
$ 68,650 |
| Coal Mining |
50 |
0.13 |
$ 32.96 |
$ 68,560 |
| Rail Transportation |
1,160 |
0.64 |
$ 29.97 |
$ 62,330 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
40 |
0.01 |
$ 29.05 |
$ 60,430 |
| Truck Transportation |
60 |
(7) |
$ 24.97 |
$ 51,940 |
Geographic profile for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Indiana |
340 |
0.11 |
6.72 |
$ 25.44 |
$ 52,920 |
| California |
230 |
0.01 |
0.81 |
$ 29.12 |
$ 60,560 |
| New Jersey |
210 |
0.05 |
3.13 |
$ 27.94 |
$ 58,120 |
| Georgia |
200 |
0.04 |
2.68 |
$ 23.00 |
$ 47,830 |
| Texas |
150 |
0.01 |
0.71 |
$ 24.06 |
$ 50,040 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Indiana |
340 |
0.11 |
6.72 |
$ 25.44 |
$ 52,920 |
| North Dakota |
40 |
0.10 |
6.21 |
$ 33.40 |
$ 69,480 |
| West Virginia |
60 |
0.09 |
5.45 |
$ 36.34 |
$ 75,580 |
| New Jersey |
210 |
0.05 |
3.13 |
$ 27.94 |
$ 58,120 |
| Georgia |
200 |
0.04 |
2.68 |
$ 23.00 |
$ 47,830 |
Top paying states for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
40 |
0.00 |
0.28 |
$ 37.28 |
$ 77,550 |
| West Virginia |
60 |
0.09 |
5.45 |
$ 36.34 |
$ 75,580 |
| North Dakota |
40 |
0.10 |
6.21 |
$ 33.40 |
$ 69,480 |
| California |
230 |
0.01 |
0.81 |
$ 29.12 |
$ 60,560 |
| New Jersey |
210 |
0.05 |
3.13 |
$ 27.94 |
$ 58,120 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Top paying metropolitan areas for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
