Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 47-4061

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

O*NET task statements lead this Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K) , Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining ($75K) , Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-4061 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported
  2. 2. Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts
  3. 3. Weld sections of track together, such as switch points and frogs
  4. 4. Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks
  5. 5. Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails
  6. 6. Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together
  7. 7. String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled
  8. 8. Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws
  9. 9. Lubricate machines, change oil, or fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels
  10. 10. Drill holes through rails, tie plates, or fishplates for insertion of bolts or spikes, using power drills
  11. 11. Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes
  12. 12. Clean, grade, or level ballast on railroad tracks

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-4061 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.8
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.8
  3. 3. Equipment Maintenance 3.3
  4. 4. Troubleshooting 3.3
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.1
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.1
  7. 7. Coordination 3.1
  8. 8. Repairing 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 3.7
  2. 2. Mechanical 3.6
  3. 3. Building and Construction 3.5
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.3
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.0
  6. 6. Engineering and Technology 3.0
National median after O*NET task lead
$70,070
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported
$70K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
1,100
Annual openings
19,580
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

1. Montana $79,170
2. New Mexico $83,370
3. Delaware $80,610
4. Maryland $92,030
5. Indiana $78,020
6. Virginia $84,750
7. Massachusetts $94,330
8. New York $87,150
9. Illinois $78,910
10. Idaho $79,020

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500
  2. 2. Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $67,890
  3. 3. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780
  4. 4. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  5. 5. Pile Driver Operators $73,300
  6. 6. Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other $70,130

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators (SOC 47-4061). The national OEWS median is $70,070 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas. Lead published task: Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,100 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: Montana at $79,170. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators pay-rank #10 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Among 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with a published OEWS median, Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is pay-rank #10, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third 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.

SOC 47-4061 · national median $70,070 · upper third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#10/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-4061

Montana · top state for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

$79K published median

New Mexico · #2 state pay

$83K · behind Montana

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators · $110K

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators · $63K

Compare Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Construction and Extraction Occupations titles sit near Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is pay-rank #10 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other ($70K), Tapers ($68K), Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K), Pile Driver Operators ($73K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. Leading ones include: Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported; Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts; Weld sections of track together, such as switch points and frogs; Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators? ▼
For SOC 47-4061, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.8), Operation and Control (3.8), Equipment Maintenance (3.3), Troubleshooting (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, Mechanical, Building and Construction. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $70,070 as the national median for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $45,640 to $87,420. Beside Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 1,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators? ▼
Montana ($79,170), New Mexico ($83,370), Delaware ($80,610) 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 Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-4061. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. 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