Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.

Key Statistics

1,200
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$62,247
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers workforce.

Employment Over Time

1,200 Workforce in 2023

The Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$62,247 Average Wage

In 2023, Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers earned an average of $62,247.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Salary distribution for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Employment Growth Projections

23.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

6,857 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 185.7%

19,591 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 716.3%

This occupation is projected to grow at 23.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Wage Trends by Industry

2.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: 2.7% growth (Current: $62,247)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Top States by Employment

State-level employment data is not available for this occupation.

Top 10 states by employment for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers in 2023 was 1,200 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.

Common majors for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers workers.

Education level distribution for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Skills

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.

Required skills for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers include Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, English Language, Customer and Personal Service.

Knowledge areas required for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers include Far Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Control Precision, Reaction Time.

Required abilities for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Daily Activities

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.

Most important work activities for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

About

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

The average yearly wage for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers was $62,247 in 2023.

SOC Code

53-4022 - Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers reports an average salary of $62,247.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,200 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 23.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.