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).
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. Washington $86,650
- 2. Tennessee $48,660
- 3. Texas $43,150
- 4. Georgia $78,500
- 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. Ship Engineers $109,530
- 2. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
- 3. Transportation Inspectors $92,100
- 4. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
- 5. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
- 6. Flight Attendants $63,580
- 7. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
- 8. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
- 9. Locomotive Engineers $81,410
- 10. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000
- 11. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770
- 12. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments
Peer ladder above lists 12 other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles , led here by Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
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.
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 next: salary map, states, and peers
SOC 53-4099 · national median $56,360 · middle third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#26/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rail Transportation Workers, All Other mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
What is the OEWS national median for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
What employment change does BLS publish for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Rail Transportation Workers, All Other? ▼
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.
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