Transit and Railroad Police Salary: $103,090 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 3,000 transit and railroad police nationally earn a mean of $103,090. Projections imply about 9.3% annual decline; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, excluding state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Key Statistics
Transit and Railroad Police: what the data shows
Common questions about transit and railroad police careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a transit and railroad police?
Transit and Railroad Police is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-3052.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 3,000 workers.
What does a transit and railroad police do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Processing Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a transit and railroad police make?
BLS national median annual wage: $82,320 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $103,090 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $84,743 |
| 25th percentile | $96,909 |
| Median (50th) | $112,932 |
| 75th percentile | $112,963 |
| 90th percentile | $112,963 |
What education do you need?
For Transit and Railroad Police, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is transit and railroad police in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 9.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -38.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -62.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 3,000.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do transit and railroad polices work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 3,000 | 17.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,390 | 13.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,390 | 13.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,390 | 13.7% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 1,920 | 11.0% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 1,920 | 11.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Transit and Railroad Police in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 12,460 | $65,480 |
| Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks | 127,440 | $41,460 |
| Transportation Inspectors | 23,320 | $85,750 |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 42,710 | $74,080 |
| Transportation Security Screeners | 46,340 | $63,360 |
| Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance | 211,000 | $48,880 |
| Police Identification and Records Officers | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Transit and Railroad Police workforce.
Employment Over Time
3,000 Workforce in 2023
The Transit and Railroad Police workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Transit and Railroad Police.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$103,090 Average Wage
In 2023, Transit and Railroad Police earned an average of $103,090.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Transit and Railroad Police.
Salary distribution for Transit and Railroad Police.
Employment Growth Projections
-9.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
122 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -38.7%
75 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -62.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Transit and Railroad Police.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Transit and Railroad Police and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Transit and Railroad Police employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Transit and Railroad Police.
Wage Trends by Industry
Wage trend data by industry is not available for this occupation.
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Transit and Railroad Police.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Transit and Railroad Police.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 970 employees, $107,760 avg wage
- NJ: 320 employees, $97,130 avg wage
- MD: 230 employees, $89,900 avg wage
- CA: 100 employees, $100,240 avg wage
- FL: 100 employees, $85,180 avg wage
- TX: 90 employees, $87,820 avg wage
- MO: 80 employees, $71,420 avg wage
- CO: 50 employees, $79,120 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Transit and Railroad Police.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,110 employees, $105,930 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 260 employees, $91,400 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 90 employees, $89,480 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 40 employees, $94,150 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Transit and Railroad Police.
Diversity
Demographic information on Transit and Railroad Police in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Transit and Railroad Police in 2023 was 3,000 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Transit and Railroad Police.
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 Transit and Railroad Police.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Transit and Railroad Police.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Transit and Railroad Police in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Transit and Railroad Police.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Transit and Railroad Police workers.
Education level distribution for Transit and Railroad Police.
Skills
Transit and Railroad Police need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Transit and Railroad Police.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Transit and Railroad Police.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Transit and Railroad Police include Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Transit and Railroad Police.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Transit and Railroad Police include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Transit and Railroad Police.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Transit and Railroad Police.
Daily Activities
Transit and Railroad Police spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Processing Information.
Most important work activities for Transit and Railroad Police.
About
Transit and Railroad Police
The average yearly wage for Transit and Railroad Police was $103,090 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-3052 - Transit and Railroad Police
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Transit and Railroad Police reports an average salary of $103,090, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 3,000 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -9.3%, 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.