Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-6011

Bridge and Lock Tenders

The published band from $28,090 to $75,360 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Bridge and Lock Tenders: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($63K) , Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) , Wellhead Pumpers ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Bridge and Lock Tenders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-6011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks
  2. 2. Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening
  3. 3. Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges
  4. 4. Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers
  5. 5. Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces
  6. 6. Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges
  7. 7. Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates
  8. 8. Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic
  9. 9. Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bri…
  10. 10. Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass
  11. 11. Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms
  12. 12. Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments

Bridge and Lock Tenders: O*NET ranks Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-6011 - lead skill Monitoring at 3.3 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Monitoring 3.3
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.0
  3. 3. Speaking 3.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.0
  5. 5. Coordination 3.0
  6. 6. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  7. 7. Operation and Control 3.0
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 3.4
  2. 2. English Language 3.3
  3. 3. Telecommunications 3.0
  4. 4. Education and Training 2.9
  5. 5. Transportation 2.8
  6. 6. Customer and Personal Service 2.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$28,090 to $75,360
median $57,700 · ~2.7× spread
$58K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
300
Annual openings
3,040
Estimated US jobs
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $232K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Bridge and Lock Tenders

1. Missouri $74,110
2. California $72,390
3. Washington $78,020
4. Alabama $66,830
5. West Virginia $65,460
6. Minnesota $74,420
7. Illinois $70,890
8. Pennsylvania $68,810
9. Mississippi $74,730
10. Iowa $70,890

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  2. 2. Wellhead Pumpers $69,960
  3. 3. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
  5. 5. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  6. 6. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $77,320

The OEWS band for Bridge and Lock Tenders runs from $28,090 (10th) to $75,360 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $57,700. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Missouri at $74,110. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Bridge and Lock Tenders pay-rank #23 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Bridge and Lock Tenders sits at pay-rank #23 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Bridge and Lock Tenders is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Bridge and Lock Tenders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-6011

Missouri · top state for Bridge and Lock Tenders

$74K published median

California · #2 state pay

$72K · behind Missouri

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Bridge and Lock Tenders · $232K

First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

Lower-pay peer beside Bridge and Lock Tenders · $63K

Compare Bridge and Lock Tenders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Bridge and Lock Tenders with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bridge and Lock Tenders mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #23 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($58K), Airfield Operations Specialists ($57K), Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ($59K), Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders ($59K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do bridge and lock tenders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Bridge and Lock Tenders. Leading ones include: Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks; Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening; Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges; Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for bridge and lock tenders? ▼
For SOC 53-6011, O*NET importance scores lead with Monitoring (3.3), Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0), Critical Thinking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, English Language, Telecommunications. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Bridge and Lock Tenders? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $28,090 and the 90th at $75,360 for Bridge and Lock Tenders (2.7× spread). The national median is $57,700. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Bridge and Lock Tenders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Bridge and Lock Tenders is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Bridge and Lock Tenders? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Bridge and Lock Tenders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Bridge and Lock Tenders? ▼
Missouri ($74,110), California ($72,390), Washington ($78,020) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Bridge and Lock Tenders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-6011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Bridge and Lock Tenders. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics