Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers Salary: $62,247 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 12,460 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers nationally earn a mean of $62,247. Projections imply about 23.4% annual growth; much hiring sits in transportation and warehousing.
Key Statistics
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: what the data shows
Common questions about railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers?
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-4022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 12,460 workers.
What does a railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $65,480 (May 2024 in our extract).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51,789 |
| 25th percentile | $58,990 |
| Median (50th) | $59,123 |
| 75th percentile | $69,960 |
| 90th percentile | $69,960 |
What education do you need?
For Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers, 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 Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 23.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 185.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 716.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 12,460.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 12,460 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 11,760 | 18.8% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 11,640 | 18.6% |
| Rail Transportation | 9,840 | 15.7% |
| Rail Transportation | 9,840 | 15.7% |
| Support Activities for Transportation | 1,710 | 2.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 156,260 | $51,500 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 205,230 | $54,660 |
| Plant and System Operators, All Other | 15,950 | $61,710 |
| Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers | 11,400 | $64,190 |
| Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film | 24,460 | $68,810 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers workforce.
Employment Over Time
12,460 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 12,460 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 12,460 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.