Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-4099

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other

Median pay sits 31% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Ship Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Rail Transportation Workers, All Other: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) , Ship Engineers ($110K) , Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

Highest-pay states for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other

State names lead when O*NET tasks are absent for this SOC, geography mass differs by occupation even when peer titles overlap.

  1. 1. Washington $86,650
  2. 2. Tennessee $48,660
  3. 3. Texas $43,150
  4. 4. Georgia $78,500
  5. 5. California $60,360

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other vs other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

Same BLS major group, ordered by national median.

  1. 1. Ship Engineers $109,530
  2. 2. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  3. 3. Transportation Inspectors $92,100
  4. 4. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
  5. 5. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  6. 6. Flight Attendants $63,580
  7. 7. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
  8. 8. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  9. 9. Locomotive Engineers $81,410
  10. 10. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000
  11. 11. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770
  12. 12. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-31%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $56,360/yr
$56K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
200
Annual openings
1,120
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

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Rail Transportation Workers, All Other sits 31% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $56,360.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 200 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: Washington at $86,650. 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.

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other pay-rank #26 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other sits at pay-rank #26 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.

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other pays 31% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Rail Transportation Workers, All Other salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-4099

Washington · top state for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other

$87K published median

Tennessee · #2 state pay

$49K · behind Washington

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Rail Transportation Workers, All Other · $232K

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Lower-pay peer beside Rail Transportation Workers, All Other · $62K

Compare Rail Transportation Workers, All Other

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Rail Transportation Workers, All Other with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Rail Transportation Workers, All Other

Against another occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Rail Transportation Workers, All Other mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #26 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Hoist and Winch Operators ($56K), Airfield Operations Specialists ($57K), Bridge and Lock Tenders ($58K), Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($58K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What is the OEWS national median for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $56,360 as the national median for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other. The published 10th-90th range is $40,080 to $83,190. Beside Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232,140), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
Washington ($86,650), Tennessee ($48,660), Texas ($43,150) 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 Transportation Workers, All Other card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-4099. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other. 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