Subway and Streetcar Operators Salary: $74,406 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 9,200 subway and streetcar operators nationally earn a mean of $74,406. Employment in the series shown fell about 57% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Subway and Streetcar Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about subway and streetcar operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a subway and streetcar operators?
Subway and Streetcar Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-4041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 9,200 workers.
What does a subway and streetcar operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a subway and streetcar operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $84,830 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $74,406.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,346 |
| 25th percentile | $69,530 |
| Median (50th) | $78,636 |
| 75th percentile | $78,636 |
| 90th percentile | $91,348 |
What education do you need?
For Subway and Streetcar Operators, 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 Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, Service Orientation, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is subway and streetcar operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 26.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 59.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 9,200.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do subway and streetcar operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 9,200 | 16.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,700 | 16.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,700 | 16.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,700 | 16.0% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 7,680 | 14.1% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 7,680 | 14.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Subway and Streetcar Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Subway and Streetcar Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
9,200 Workforce in 2023
The Subway and Streetcar Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$74,406 Average Wage
In 2023, Subway and Streetcar Operators earned an average of $74,406.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Salary distribution for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
4.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,300 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 26.4%
2,907 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 59.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Subway and Streetcar Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Subway and Streetcar Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 1.6% growth (Current: $74,406)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
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:
- UT: 900 employees, $56,780 avg wage
- MA: 820 employees, $72,330 avg wage
- CA: 760 employees, $72,640 avg wage
- MD: 520 employees, $78,940 avg wage
- GA: 260 employees, $54,840 avg wage
- TX: 230 employees, $53,990 avg wage
- WA: 170 employees, $80,730 avg wage
- NJ: 160 employees, $72,890 avg wage
- MN: 130 employees, $66,500 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,960 employees, $87,620 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 230 employees, $55,870 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 200 employees, $52,960 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 170 employees, $80,730 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 160 employees, $76,820 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 150 employees, $67,700 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 120 employees, $66,690 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Subway and Streetcar Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Subway and Streetcar Operators in 2023 was 9,200 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
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 Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Subway and Streetcar Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Subway and Streetcar Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Skills
Subway and Streetcar Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring.
Required skills for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Subway and Streetcar Operators include Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Subway and Streetcar Operators include Control Precision, Reaction Time, Multilimb Coordination, Problem Sensitivity, Rate Control.
Required abilities for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Subway and Streetcar Operators.
Daily Activities
Subway and Streetcar Operators spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials.
Most important work activities for Subway and Streetcar Operators.
About
Subway and Streetcar Operators
The average yearly wage for Subway and Streetcar Operators was $74,406 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-4041 - Subway and Streetcar Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Subway and Streetcar Operators reports an average salary of $74,406.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 9,200 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.8%, 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.