Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
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) |
| 46,490 |
0.3 % |
$ 34.72 |
$ 72,220 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 26.25 |
$ 29.89 |
$ 34.20 |
$ 37.74 |
$ 47.70 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 54,610 |
$ 62,180 |
$ 71,130 |
$ 78,490 |
$ 99,210 |
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 |
36,400 |
20.09 |
$ 35.20 |
$ 73,220 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
8,390 |
0.15 |
$ 33.90 |
$ 70,510 |
| Support Activities for Rail Transportation |
890 |
2.43 |
$ 25.50 |
$ 53,050 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
220 |
0.01 |
$ 38.93 |
$ 80,970 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land |
130 |
1.17 |
$ 20.45 |
$ 42,540 |
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 |
36,400 |
20.09 |
$ 35.20 |
$ 73,220 |
| Support Activities for Rail Transportation |
890 |
2.43 |
$ 25.50 |
$ 53,050 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land |
130 |
1.17 |
$ 20.45 |
$ 42,540 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
8,390 |
0.15 |
$ 33.90 |
$ 70,510 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
220 |
0.01 |
$ 38.93 |
$ 80,970 |
Top paying industries for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:
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) |
| Texas |
4,270 |
0.31 |
1.03 |
$ 31.99 |
$ 66,550 |
| Pennsylvania |
3,350 |
0.56 |
1.84 |
$ 33.82 |
$ 70,340 |
| Illinois |
2,390 |
0.40 |
1.30 |
$ 36.28 |
$ 75,470 |
| California |
1,360 |
0.08 |
0.25 |
$ 34.40 |
$ 71,550 |
| Indiana |
1,250 |
0.39 |
1.29 |
$ 37.75 |
$ 78,520 |
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) |
| Nebraska |
1,140 |
1.14 |
3.71 |
$ 39.68 |
$ 82,530 |
| Kansas |
1,120 |
0.80 |
2.60 |
$ 29.77 |
$ 61,930 |
| Pennsylvania |
3,350 |
0.56 |
1.84 |
$ 33.82 |
$ 70,340 |
| Iowa |
870 |
0.56 |
1.83 |
$ 34.08 |
$ 70,890 |
| West Virginia |
340 |
0.50 |
1.62 |
$ 32.66 |
$ 67,930 |
Top paying states for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters:
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) |
| Duluth, MN-WI |
90 |
0.73 |
2.39 |
$ 37.27 |
$ 77,530 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
60 |
0.01 |
0.05 |
$ 49.55 |
$ 103,070 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS |
60 |
0.06 |
0.19 |
$ 25.79 |
$ 53,650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
60 |
0.02 |
0.05 |
$ 30.15 |
$ 62,710 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
60 |
0.10 |
0.32 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,330 |
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) |
| Duluth, MN-WI |
90 |
0.73 |
2.39 |
$ 37.27 |
$ 77,530 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
60 |
0.10 |
0.32 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,330 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS |
60 |
0.06 |
0.19 |
$ 25.79 |
$ 53,650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
60 |
0.02 |
0.05 |
$ 30.15 |
$ 62,710 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
60 |
0.01 |
0.05 |
$ 49.55 |
$ 103,070 |
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) |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
60 |
0.01 |
0.05 |
$ 49.55 |
$ 103,070 |
| Duluth, MN-WI |
90 |
0.73 |
2.39 |
$ 37.27 |
$ 77,530 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 35.53 |
$ 73,910 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 33.89 |
$ 70,480 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
60 |
0.02 |
0.05 |
$ 30.15 |
$ 62,710 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS |
60 |
0.06 |
0.19 |
$ 25.79 |
$ 53,650 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
60 |
0.10 |
0.32 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,330 |
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.
(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
