TL;DR

About 8,210 signal and track switch repairers nationally earn a mean of $91,225. Employment in the series shown fell about 24% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.5% annual decline.

Key Statistics

8,210
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$91,225
Average Salary

Signal and Track Switch Repairers: what the data shows

Common questions about signal and track switch repairers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a signal and track switch repairers?

Signal and Track Switch Repairers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 49-9097.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,210 workers.

What does a signal and track switch repairers do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a signal and track switch repairers make?

BLS national median annual wage: $83,600 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $91,225 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$65,017
25th percentile$84,848
Median (50th)$84,878
75th percentile$102,491
90th percentile$126,635

What education do you need?

For Signal and Track Switch Repairers, 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 Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is signal and track switch repairers in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -16.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -30.3%.

Current U.S. headcount: 8,210.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do signal and track switch repairerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry8,21019.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only6,49015.7%
Transportation and Warehousing6,03014.6%
Rail Transportation5,89014.3%
Rail Transportation5,89014.3%
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)1,7204.2%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Signal and Track Switch Repairers in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

What careers are related?

Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Computer Hardware Engineers75,710$155,020
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians36,880$52,080
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products293,930$100,070
Soil and Plant Scientists16,600$71,410
Biochemists and Biophysicists34,520$103,650
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs156,260$51,500
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers12,460$65,480

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Signal and Track Switch Repairers workforce.

Employment Over Time

8,210 Workforce in 2023

The Signal and Track Switch Repairers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$91,225 Average Wage

In 2023, Signal and Track Switch Repairers earned an average of $91,225.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Salary distribution for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Employment Growth Projections

-3.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

584 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -16.5%

487 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -30.3%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Signal and Track Switch Repairers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Signal and Track Switch Repairers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Wage Trends by Industry

-5.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: -5.6% growth (Current: $91,225)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Top States by Employment

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

Top 10 states by employment for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Signal and Track Switch Repairers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Signal and Track Switch Repairers in 2023 was 8,210 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

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 Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Signal and Track Switch Repairers in 2023 were Engineering, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Signal and Track Switch Repairers workers.

Education level distribution for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Skills

Signal and Track Switch Repairers need many skills, but most especially Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking.

Required skills for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Signal and Track Switch Repairers include Transportation, Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Telecommunications.

Knowledge areas required for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Signal and Track Switch Repairers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity.

Required abilities for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

Daily Activities

Signal and Track Switch Repairers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Getting Information.

Most important work activities for Signal and Track Switch Repairers.

About

Signal and Track Switch Repairers

The average yearly wage for Signal and Track Switch Repairers was $91,225 in 2023.

SOC Code

49-9097 - Signal and Track Switch Repairers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Signal and Track Switch Repairers reports an average salary of $91,225.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 8,210 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.5%, 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.