Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 53-4031

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

O*NET task statements lead this Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Commercial Pilots, Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, Crane and Tower Operators, Wellhead Pumpers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters: Commercial Pilots ($123K) , Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers ($61K) , Crane and Tower Operators ($68K) , Wellhead Pumpers ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-4031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals
  2. 2. Confer with engineers regarding train routes, timetables, and cargoes, and to discuss alternative routes when there are rail defects or o…
  3. 3. Instruct workers to set warning signals in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops
  4. 4. Receive information regarding train or rail problems from dispatchers or from electronic monitoring devices
  5. 5. Receive instructions from dispatchers regarding trains' routes, timetables, and cargoes
  6. 6. Direct and instruct workers engaged in yard activities, such as switching tracks, coupling and uncoupling cars, and routing inbound and o…
  7. 7. Operate controls to activate track switches and traffic signals
  8. 8. Keep records of the contents and destination of each train car, and make sure that cars are added or removed at proper points on routes
  9. 9. Observe yard traffic to determine tracks available to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic
  10. 10. Arrange for the removal of defective cars from trains at stations or stops
  11. 11. Direct engineers to move cars to fit planned train configurations, combining or separating cars to make up or break up trains
  12. 12. Inspect each car periodically during runs

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-4031 - lead skill Speaking at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 3.8
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.8
  3. 3. Coordination 3.8
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.6
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.5
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.5
  7. 7. Time Management 3.5
  8. 8. Operations Monitoring 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.0
  2. 2. Transportation 4.0
  3. 3. English Language 3.5
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.1
  5. 5. Law and Government 3.0
  6. 6. Customer and Personal Service 2.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$78,000
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals
$78K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
3,100
Annual openings
46,440
Estimated US jobs
Commercial Pilots
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

1. Maryland $83,390
2. New York $80,000
3. Pennsylvania $83,610
4. Indiana $81,260
5. Florida $79,600
6. Virginia $79,900
7. Delaware $80,410
8. Illinois $79,820
9. Washington $79,040
10. Oklahoma $102,260

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Crane and Tower Operators $68,080
  2. 2. Wellhead Pumpers $69,960
  3. 3. Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $60,600
  4. 4. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  5. 5. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  6. 6. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters (SOC 53-4031). The national OEWS median is $78,000 inside Transportation and Material Moving Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Commercial Pilots, Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, Crane and Tower Operators, Wellhead Pumpers. Lead published task: Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,100 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: Maryland at $83,390. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Commercial Pilots at $123,220. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters pay-rank #9 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Among 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with a published OEWS median, Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is pay-rank #9, 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 53-4031 · national median $78,000 · upper third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#9/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-4031

Maryland · top state for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

$83K published median

New York · #2 state pay

$80K · behind Maryland

Commercial Pilots

Highest-pay peer vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters · $123K

Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Lower-pay peer beside Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters · $61K

Compare Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters 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 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles sit near Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters at the top of the pay table? ▼
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is pay-rank #9 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators ($77K), Locomotive Engineers ($81K), Wellhead Pumpers ($70K), Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do railroad conductors and yardmasters do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. Leading ones include: Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals; Confer with engineers regarding train routes, timetables, and cargoes, and to discuss alternative routes when there are rail defects or o…; Instruct workers to set warning signals in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops; Receive information regarding train or rail problems from dispatchers or from electronic monitoring devices. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for railroad conductors and yardmasters? ▼
For SOC 53-4031, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (3.8), Monitoring (3.8), Coordination (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Transportation, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $78,000 as the national median for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. The published 10th-90th range is $58,740 to $109,770. Beside Commercial Pilots ($123,220), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 3,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters? ▼
Maryland ($83,390), New York ($80,000), Pennsylvania ($83,610) 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 Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-4031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. 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