Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Locomotive Engineers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Locomotive Engineers:
Top paying metropolitan areas for Locomotive Engineers:
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
United States Department of Labor
