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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

47-4061 Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.


National estimates for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Industry profile for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Geographic profile for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

National estimates for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
18,600 1.7 % $ 30.69 $ 63,840 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 18.75 $ 22.92 $ 30.40 $ 37.95 $ 40.61
Annual Wage (2) $ 39,000 $ 47,680 $ 63,230 $ 78,930 $ 84,460


Industry profile for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 11,530 6.28 $ 29.70 $ 61,780
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,830 0.07 $ 37.01 $ 76,980
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,580 1.27 $ 20.68 $ 43,010
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 790 0.04 $ 41.14 $ 85,560
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 510 1.53 $ 24.29 $ 50,530

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 11,530 6.28 $ 29.70 $ 61,780
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 510 1.53 $ 24.29 $ 50,530
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,580 1.27 $ 20.68 $ 43,010
Coal Mining 90 0.22 $ 28.38 $ 59,030
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,830 0.07 $ 37.01 $ 76,980

Top paying industries for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 790 0.04 $ 41.14 $ 85,560
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,830 0.07 $ 37.01 $ 76,980
Rail Transportation 11,530 6.28 $ 29.70 $ 61,780
Coal Mining 90 0.22 $ 28.38 $ 59,030
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 510 1.53 $ 24.29 $ 50,530


Geographic profile for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 4,460 0.49 3.89 $ 34.33 $ 71,410
Texas 1,740 0.13 1.06 $ 24.74 $ 51,450
Illinois 980 0.17 1.32 $ 32.83 $ 68,280
Pennsylvania 790 0.14 1.09 $ 32.72 $ 68,050
Indiana 640 0.21 1.64 $ 29.34 $ 61,030


Map of location quotient of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 330 0.49 3.92 $ 24.04 $ 50,010
New York 4,460 0.49 3.89 $ 34.33 $ 71,410
Montana 160 0.33 2.64 $ 30.18 $ 62,780
Kansas 420 0.30 2.41 $ 25.36 $ 52,740
Nebraska 280 0.29 2.30 $ 30.89 $ 64,260


Map of annual mean wages of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 410 0.02 0.19 $ 34.63 $ 72,040
New York 4,460 0.49 3.89 $ 34.33 $ 71,410
Illinois 980 0.17 1.32 $ 32.83 $ 68,280
Oregon 120 0.06 0.50 $ 32.74 $ 68,100
Pennsylvania 790 0.14 1.09 $ 32.72 $ 68,050



Map of employment of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

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 2,900 0.32 2.51 $ 38.52 $ 80,130
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 370 0.12 0.96 $ 17.26 $ 35,900
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 370 0.12 0.96 $ 34.12 $ 70,980
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 180 0.05 0.38 $ 18.77 $ 39,050
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 90 0.13 1.02 $ 19.95 $ 41,490
Salt Lake City, UT 70 0.09 0.69 $ 23.64 $ 49,170
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 40 0.03 0.26 $ 31.66 $ 65,850
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 30 0.01 0.10 $ 31.00 $ 64,490
Oklahoma City, OK 30 0.05 0.40 $ 17.12 $ 35,620


Map of location quotient of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

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 2,900 0.32 2.51 $ 38.52 $ 80,130
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 90 0.13 1.02 $ 19.95 $ 41,490
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 370 0.12 0.96 $ 17.26 $ 35,900
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 370 0.12 0.96 $ 34.12 $ 70,980
Salt Lake City, UT 70 0.09 0.69 $ 23.64 $ 49,170
Oklahoma City, OK 30 0.05 0.40 $ 17.12 $ 35,620
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 180 0.05 0.38 $ 18.77 $ 39,050
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 40 0.03 0.26 $ 31.66 $ 65,850
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 30 0.01 0.10 $ 31.00 $ 64,490


Map of annual mean wages of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:

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 2,900 0.32 2.51 $ 38.52 $ 80,130
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 370 0.12 0.96 $ 34.12 $ 70,980
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 40 0.03 0.26 $ 31.66 $ 65,850
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 30 0.01 0.10 $ 31.00 $ 64,490
Salt Lake City, UT 70 0.09 0.69 $ 23.64 $ 49,170
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 90 0.13 1.02 $ 19.95 $ 41,490
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 180 0.05 0.38 $ 18.77 $ 39,050
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 370 0.12 0.96 $ 17.26 $ 35,900
Oklahoma City, OK 30 0.05 0.40 $ 17.12 $ 35,620


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.

(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