Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 53-4041

Subway and Streetcar Operators

O*NET task statements lead this Subway and Streetcar Operators card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Air Traffic Controllers, Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Subway and Streetcar Operators: Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) , Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers ($61K) , Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers ($69K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Subway and Streetcar Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-4041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential…
  2. 2. Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors
  3. 3. Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolley…
  4. 4. Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios
  5. 5. Regulate vehicle speed and the time spent at each stop to maintain schedules
  6. 6. Make announcements to passengers, such as notifications of upcoming stops or schedule delays
  7. 7. Direct emergency evacuation procedures
  8. 8. Complete reports, including shift summaries and incident or accident reports
  9. 9. Greet passengers, provide information, and answer questions concerning fares, schedules, transfers, and routings
  10. 10. Attend meetings on driver and passenger safety to learn ways in which job performance might be affected

Subway and Streetcar Operators: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-4041 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.9
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.9
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.6
  4. 4. Speaking 3.4
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.3
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  7. 7. Service Orientation 3.1
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 4.4
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.9
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  4. 4. English Language 3.2
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.8
  6. 6. Telecommunications 2.6
National median after O*NET task lead
$86,380
/year · 10 published task lines above
Lead task: Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential…
$86K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
900
Annual openings
10,200
Estimated US jobs
Air Traffic Controllers
Highest-pay peer · $148K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Subway and Streetcar Operators

1. California $78,680
2. Georgia $59,570
3. New Jersey $68,970
4. Maryland $92,420
5. Washington $77,020
6. Texas $58,780
7. Virginia $61,970
8. Florida $72,860
9. North Carolina $62,590
10. Minnesota $65,410

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  2. 2. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770
  3. 3. Ship Engineers $109,530
  4. 4. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
  5. 5. Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $60,600
  6. 6. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080

O*NET publishes 10 leading task statements for Subway and Streetcar Operators (SOC 53-4041). The national OEWS median is $86,380 inside Transportation and Material Moving Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Air Traffic Controllers, Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers, Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers. Lead published task: Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential….

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 900 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: California at $78,680. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Air Traffic Controllers at $148,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Subway and Streetcar Operators pay-rank #7 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Among 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with a published OEWS median, Subway and Streetcar Operators is pay-rank #7, 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 53-4041 · national median $86,380 · upper third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#7/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Subway and Streetcar Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-4041

California · top state for Subway and Streetcar Operators

$79K published median

Georgia · #2 state pay

$60K · behind California

Air Traffic Controllers

Highest-pay peer vs Subway and Streetcar Operators · $148K

Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Lower-pay peer beside Subway and Streetcar Operators · $61K

Compare Subway and Streetcar Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Subway and Streetcar Operators with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Subway and Streetcar 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 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles sit near Subway and Streetcar Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Subway and Streetcar Operators is pay-rank #7 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Locomotive Engineers ($81K), Transportation Inspectors ($92K), Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K), Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters ($78K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do subway and streetcar operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Subway and Streetcar Operators. Leading ones include: Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential…; Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors; Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolley…; Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for subway and streetcar operators? ▼
For SOC 53-4041, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.9), Operation and Control (3.9), Active Listening (3.6), Speaking (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Subway and Streetcar Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $86,380 as the national median for Subway and Streetcar Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $55,180 to $90,140. Beside Air Traffic Controllers ($148,080), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Subway and Streetcar Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Subway and Streetcar Operators is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Subway and Streetcar Operators? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Subway and Streetcar Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Subway and Streetcar Operators? ▼
California ($78,680), Georgia ($59,570), New Jersey ($68,970) 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 Subway and Streetcar Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-4041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Subway and Streetcar 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