Bridge and Lock Tenders Salary: $66,529 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,720 bridge and lock tenders nationally earn a mean of $66,529. Projections imply about 2.2% 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
Bridge and Lock Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about bridge and lock tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a bridge and lock tenders?
Bridge and Lock Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-6011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,720 workers.
What does a bridge and lock tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a bridge and lock tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $58,490 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $66,529 — 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 | $48,726 |
| 25th percentile | $53,746 |
| Median (50th) | $59,154 |
| 75th percentile | $80,593 |
| 90th percentile | $86,677 |
What education do you need?
For Bridge and Lock Tenders, 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 Monitoring, Operation and Control, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, English Language, Telecommunications, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is bridge and lock tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -10.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -20.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,720.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do bridge and lock tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,720 | 17.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,350 | 15.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,350 | 15.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,350 | 15.1% |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | 1,160 | 7.5% |
| Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 1,160 | 7.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Bridge and Lock Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bridge and Lock Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,720 Workforce in 2023
The Bridge and Lock Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$66,529 Average Wage
In 2023, Bridge and Lock Tenders earned an average of $66,529.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Salary distribution for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
125 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -10.5%
112 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -20.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Bridge and Lock Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Bridge and Lock Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
-21.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 0.1% growth (Current: $66,529)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
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:
- LA: 350 employees, $44,830 avg wage
- IL: 290 employees, $73,490 avg wage
- NY: 220 employees, $49,340 avg wage
- FL: 180 employees, $43,300 avg wage
- PA: 120 employees, $66,440 avg wage
- WI: 100 employees, $58,820 avg wage
- OH: 100 employees, $55,590 avg wage
- IN: 90 employees, $54,750 avg wage
- KY: 90 employees, $59,860 avg wage
- TX: 70 employees, $55,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 130 employees, $54,530 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 120 employees, $77,370 avg wage
- Pittsburgh, PA: 110 employees, $66,260 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 60 employees, $41,780 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 50 employees, $50,180 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 40 employees, $57,660 avg wage
- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: 40 employees, $67,910 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 40 employees, $61,060 avg wage
- Cleveland, OH: 30 employees, $43,440 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 30 employees, $73,440 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bridge and Lock Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Bridge and Lock Tenders in 2023 was 2,720 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
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 Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Bridge and Lock Tenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Bridge and Lock Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Skills
Bridge and Lock Tenders need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Operation and Control, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Bridge and Lock Tenders include Public Safety and Security, English Language, Telecommunications, Education and Training, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Bridge and Lock Tenders include Near Vision, Information Ordering, Auditory Attention, Control Precision, Selective Attention.
Required abilities for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Bridge and Lock Tenders.
Daily Activities
Bridge and Lock Tenders spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others.
Most important work activities for Bridge and Lock Tenders.
About
Bridge and Lock Tenders
The average yearly wage for Bridge and Lock Tenders was $66,529 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-6011 - Bridge and Lock Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Bridge and Lock Tenders reports an average salary of $66,529.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,720 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.2%, 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.