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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

53-4022 Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Operate or monitor railroad track switches or locomotive instruments. May couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Watch for and relay traffic signals. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes. May watch for dragging equipment or obstacles on rights-of-way.


National estimates for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Industry profile for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Geographic profile for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

National estimates for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
14,210 1.4 % $ 31.16 $ 64,810 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 21.07 $ 29.15 $ 32.47 $ 33.72 $ 38.26
Annual Wage (2) $ 43,830 $ 60,640 $ 67,540 $ 70,140 $ 79,580


Industry profile for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 11,700 6.37 $ 32.20 $ 66,980
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 1,620 4.87 $ 21.50 $ 44,730
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 580 0.01 $ 37.70 $ 78,410
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 60 0.00 $ 28.21 $ 58,670

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 11,700 6.37 $ 32.20 $ 66,980
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 1,620 4.87 $ 21.50 $ 44,730
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 580 0.01 $ 37.70 $ 78,410
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 60 0.00 $ 28.21 $ 58,670

Top paying industries for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 580 0.01 $ 37.70 $ 78,410
Rail Transportation 11,700 6.37 $ 32.20 $ 66,980
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 60 (7) $ 28.21 $ 58,670
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 1,620 4.87 $ 21.50 $ 44,730


Geographic profile for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 2,020 0.16 1.61 $ 29.92 $ 62,230
California 790 0.04 0.46 $ 33.37 $ 69,400
Missouri 630 0.22 2.32 $ 32.99 $ 68,620
Indiana 570 0.18 1.91 $ 37.92 $ 78,870
Nebraska 540 0.56 5.80 $ 31.63 $ 65,790


Map of location quotient of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 260 0.98 10.24 $ 28.25 $ 58,770
Nebraska 540 0.56 5.80 $ 31.63 $ 65,790
Montana 190 0.39 4.01 $ 34.74 $ 72,260
Louisiana 440 0.24 2.50 $ 28.06 $ 58,350
Missouri 630 0.22 2.32 $ 32.99 $ 68,620


Map of annual mean wages of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Indiana 570 0.18 1.91 $ 37.92 $ 78,870
New Jersey 130 0.03 0.32 $ 37.05 $ 77,060
New York 400 0.04 0.46 $ 35.94 $ 74,750
Montana 190 0.39 4.01 $ 34.74 $ 72,260
North Carolina 120 0.03 0.27 $ 33.88 $ 70,460



Map of employment of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 200 0.06 0.67 $ 24.08 $ 50,090
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 90 0.01 0.10 $ 51.98 $ 108,120
Salt Lake City, UT 50 0.07 0.70 $ 32.92 $ 68,480
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 40 0.02 0.19 $ 35.85 $ 74,570


Map of location quotient of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salt Lake City, UT 50 0.07 0.70 $ 32.92 $ 68,480
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 200 0.06 0.67 $ 24.08 $ 50,090
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 40 0.02 0.19 $ 35.85 $ 74,570
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 90 0.01 0.10 $ 51.98 $ 108,120


Map of annual mean wages of railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 90 0.01 0.10 $ 51.98 $ 108,120
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 40 0.02 0.19 $ 35.85 $ 74,570
Salt Lake City, UT 50 0.07 0.70 $ 32.92 $ 68,480
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 200 0.06 0.67 $ 24.08 $ 50,090


About May 2022 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 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023