Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 4,460 |
4.5 % |
$ 27.92 |
$ 58,070 |
1.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.53 |
$ 22.77 |
$ 29.37 |
$ 31.01 |
$ 38.11 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 38,550 |
$ 47,350 |
$ 61,090 |
$ 64,500 |
$ 79,270 |
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 |
1,000 |
3.06 |
$ 24.21 |
$ 50,360 |
| Rail Transportation |
2,670 |
1.22 |
$ 29.66 |
$ 61,680 |
| Other Support Activities for Transportation |
150 |
0.44 |
$ 18.89 |
$ 39,290 |
| Metal Ore Mining |
140 |
0.34 |
$ 32.33 |
$ 67,250 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
60 |
0.02 |
$ 30.12 |
$ 62,640 |
Top paying industries for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers:
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) |
| Texas |
560 |
0.05 |
1.46 |
$ 23.78 |
$ 49,450 |
| California |
550 |
0.03 |
1.05 |
$ 25.82 |
$ 53,710 |
| Georgia |
420 |
0.10 |
3.06 |
$ 25.98 |
$ 54,030 |
| Pennsylvania |
220 |
0.04 |
1.27 |
$ 18.57 |
$ 38,630 |
| Kentucky |
200 |
0.11 |
3.44 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,010 |
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) |
| West Virginia |
90 |
0.13 |
4.11 |
$ 32.22 |
$ 67,010 |
| Kentucky |
200 |
0.11 |
3.44 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,010 |
| Georgia |
420 |
0.10 |
3.06 |
$ 25.98 |
$ 54,030 |
| Kansas |
110 |
0.08 |
2.56 |
$ 20.85 |
$ 43,360 |
| Texas |
560 |
0.05 |
1.46 |
$ 23.78 |
$ 49,450 |
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 Jersey |
130 |
0.03 |
1.05 |
$ 37.64 |
$ 78,280 |
| New York |
140 |
0.02 |
0.51 |
$ 34.30 |
$ 71,350 |
| Illinois |
130 |
0.02 |
0.71 |
$ 32.70 |
$ 68,020 |
| West Virginia |
90 |
0.13 |
4.11 |
$ 32.22 |
$ 67,010 |
| Missouri |
50 |
0.02 |
0.53 |
$ 30.12 |
$ 62,650 |
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 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
