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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

53-4031 Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching.


National estimates for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Industry profile for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Geographic profile for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

National estimates for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
44,920 7.1 % $ 31.46 $ 65,440 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 20.88 $ 26.40 $ 30.78 $ 36.69 $ 43.52
Annual Wage (2) $ 43,430 $ 54,910 $ 64,030 $ 76,310 $ 90,520


Industry profile for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 40,220 18.81 $ 31.69 $ 65,920
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,870 0.07 $ 29.26 $ 60,850
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 370 1.10 $ 26.68 $ 55,490
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 260 0.01 $ 41.05 $ 85,380
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 50 0.54 $ 17.08 $ 35,520

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 40,220 18.81 $ 31.69 $ 65,920
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 370 1.10 $ 26.68 $ 55,490
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 50 0.54 $ 17.08 $ 35,520
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,870 0.07 $ 29.26 $ 60,850
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 260 0.01 $ 41.05 $ 85,380

Top paying industries for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 260 0.01 $ 41.05 $ 85,380
Rail Transportation 40,220 18.81 $ 31.69 $ 65,920
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 3,870 0.07 $ 29.26 $ 60,850
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 370 1.10 $ 26.68 $ 55,490
Support Activities for Water Transportation (8) (8) $ 25.86 $ 53,800


Geographic profile for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

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





States with the highest employment level in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 6,930 0.80 2.47 $ 29.26 $ 60,870
Texas 4,930 0.41 1.26 $ 31.12 $ 64,730
Illinois 2,920 0.52 1.61 $ 32.08 $ 66,730
Pennsylvania 2,720 0.49 1.53 $ 30.98 $ 64,450
California 1,960 0.12 0.37 $ 33.14 $ 68,930




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 610 2.33 7.20 $ 31.13 $ 64,760
New York 6,930 0.80 2.47 $ 29.26 $ 60,870
West Virginia 500 0.76 2.36 $ 29.21 $ 60,750
Arkansas 720 0.61 1.89 $ 30.80 $ 64,070
Illinois 2,920 0.52 1.61 $ 32.08 $ 66,730




Top paying states for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,360 0.36 1.11 $ 36.43 $ 75,780
Nebraska (8) (8) (8) $ 36.09 $ 75,060
Massachusetts (8) (8) (8) $ 35.38 $ 73,580
California 1,960 0.12 0.37 $ 33.14 $ 68,930
New Mexico (8) (8) (8) $ 33.01 $ 68,660





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

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 3,940 0.45 1.38 $ 29.35 $ 61,040
Kansas City, MO-KS 40 0.03 0.11 $ 22.93 $ 47,700




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

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 3,940 0.45 1.38 $ 29.35 $ 61,040
Kansas City, MO-KS 40 0.03 0.11 $ 22.93 $ 47,700




Top paying metropolitan areas for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:

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) $ 31.54 $ 65,610
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,940 0.45 1.38 $ 29.35 $ 61,040
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 28.78 $ 59,850
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 26.88 $ 55,910
Kansas City, MO-KS 40 0.03 0.11 $ 22.93 $ 47,700


About May 2020 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.

(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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021