Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers in New York-Newark-Jersey City

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.