BLS metro-level wage data places Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at a median of $111,050 per year ($53.39/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $68,840, New York-Newark-Jersey City pays +61% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 60 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firerss are employed across the New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA in SOC 53-4022.

The New York-Newark-Jersey City pay distribution spans from $63,710 at the 10th percentile to $137,890 at the 90th — a 2.2× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $76,840 and the 75th at $137,890, so half of New York-Newark-Jersey City-based railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firerss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide NY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.