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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

53-4011 Locomotive Engineers

Drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Interpret train orders, electronic or manual signals, and railroad rules and regulations. Excludes “Engineers” (17-2011 through 17-2199).


National estimates for Locomotive Engineers
Industry profile for Locomotive Engineers
Geographic profile for Locomotive Engineers

National estimates for Locomotive Engineers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Locomotive Engineers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
32,390 0.5 % $ 36.48 $ 75,870 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Locomotive Engineers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 28.58 $ 35.21 $ 35.95 $ 38.63 $ 44.55
Annual Wage (2) $ 59,450 $ 73,240 $ 74,770 $ 80,340 $ 92,670


Industry profile for Locomotive Engineers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Locomotive Engineers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Locomotive Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Locomotive Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 31,040 17.13 $ 36.76 $ 76,470
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 400 1.09 $ 27.80 $ 57,820
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 260 0.00 $ 38.27 $ 79,590
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 80 0.74 $ 25.11 $ 52,240
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 60 0.00 $ 30.71 $ 63,870

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Locomotive Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 31,040 17.13 $ 36.76 $ 76,470
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 400 1.09 $ 27.80 $ 57,820
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 80 0.74 $ 25.11 $ 52,240
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 40 0.04 $ 29.03 $ 60,380
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 60 0.00 $ 30.71 $ 63,870

Top paying industries for Locomotive Engineers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) 260 (7) $ 38.27 $ 79,590
Rail Transportation 31,040 17.13 $ 36.76 $ 76,470
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 60 (7) $ 30.71 $ 63,870
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 40 0.04 $ 29.03 $ 60,380
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 400 1.09 $ 27.80 $ 57,820


Geographic profile for Locomotive Engineers:

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



Map of employment of locomotive engineers by state, May 2023


States with the highest employment level in Locomotive Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 4,000 0.30 1.38 $ 34.11 $ 70,950
Pennsylvania 1,660 0.28 1.31 $ 36.10 $ 75,090
California 1,630 0.09 0.43 $ 33.12 $ 68,880
New York 1,200 0.13 0.60 $ 45.13 $ 93,880
Indiana 1,050 0.33 1.56 $ 35.61 $ 74,060


Map of location quotient of locomotive engineers by state, May 2023


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Locomotive Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Montana 980 1.96 9.17 $ 37.69 $ 78,400
Nebraska 740 0.74 3.46 $ 36.52 $ 75,960
Kansas 960 0.68 3.18 $ 34.14 $ 71,010
Iowa 830 0.54 2.51 $ 38.12 $ 79,280
Arkansas 610 0.48 2.25 $ 34.38 $ 71,520


Map of annual mean wages of locomotive engineers by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Locomotive Engineers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 1,200 0.13 0.60 $ 45.13 $ 93,880
Connecticut 410 0.25 1.17 $ 41.88 $ 87,110
Maryland 230 0.09 0.41 $ 41.23 $ 85,760
North Carolina 370 0.08 0.36 $ 41.16 $ 85,610
Oklahoma 310 0.19 0.88 $ 39.56 $ 82,290



Map of employment of locomotive engineers by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Locomotive Engineers:

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 50 0.01 0.02 $ 36.22 $ 75,330


Map of location quotient of locomotive engineers by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Locomotive Engineers:

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 50 0.01 0.02 $ 36.22 $ 75,330


Map of annual mean wages of locomotive engineers by area, May 2023


Top paying metropolitan areas for Locomotive Engineers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (8) (8) (8) $ 36.27 $ 75,450
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 50 0.01 0.02 $ 36.22 $ 75,330


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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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