Rail Transportation: NAICS 482
About the Rail Transportation subsector
The rail transportation subsector is part of the transportation and warehousing sector.
Industries in the Rail Transportation subsector provide rail transportation of passengers and/or cargo using railroad rolling stock. The railroads in this subsector primarily either operate on networks, with physical facilities, labor force, and equipment spread over an extensive geographic area, or operate over a short distance on a local rail line.
North American Industry Classification System
The rail transportation subsector consists of a single industry group,
Rail Transportation: NAICS 4821.
Workforce Statistics
This section provides information relating to employment in rail transportation.
These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys.
The following tables present an overview of the industry including
the number of jobs,
data for occupations common to the industry,
and projections of occupational employment change.
Employment
| Data series |
Back
data |
Aug.
2014 |
Sep.
2014 |
Oct.
2014 |
Nov.
2014 |
Employment (in thousands) |
|
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
238.5 |
240.9 |
240.8 |
242.0 |
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Employment by Occupation
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Projections
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for rail transportation.
(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)
Earnings
Recent hourly and annual earnings for occupations commonly found in rail transportation.
Earnings by Occupation
| Data series |
Wages, 2013 |
| Hourly |
Annual |
| Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Locomotive engineers |
$25.55 |
$26.76 |
$53,130 |
$55,660 |
Rail car repairers |
$25.09 |
$24.71 |
$52,190 |
$51,400 |
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators |
$21.77 |
$22.15 |
$45,270 |
$46,060 |
Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators |
$24.82 |
$24.42 |
$51,630 |
$50,790 |
Railroad conductors and yardmasters |
$27.10 |
$28.08 |
$56,370 |
$58,410 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses
This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in rail transportation. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)
Prices
This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction.
| Data series |
Back
data |
Aug.
2014 |
Sep.
2014 |
Oct.
2014 |
Nov.
2014 |
Producer price index |
|
187.2 |
186.9 |
186.6 |
186.0 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
-0.1% |
-0.2% |
-0.2% |
-0.3% |
(Source: Producer Price Indexes)
Workplace Trends
This section presents data on the number of establishments in rail transportation.
Establishments
(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
Other BLS Resources
Career Guide to Industries
To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.
Data extracted on:
December 19, 2014
