Locomotive Engineer Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of locomotive engineers from 2025 to 2035 (+0.5%, about 100 more jobs), with about 2,000 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $81,410 a year ranks 208th of 825 occupations.
- Little or no change
- +0.5%
- Openings a year
- 2,000
- Median pay
- $81,410
- Pay rank
- 208th of 825
Is employment of locomotive engineers growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.5% employment change for locomotive engineers from 2025 to 2035 (about 100 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +4.3% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 50 transportation and material moving occupations with a projection. That change ranks 579th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 27,400 |
| Employment, 2035 | 27,600 |
| Projected change | +0.5% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 2,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 27,400 jobs here differ from the 33,470 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 2,000 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 548th most of 830 occupations. Nearly all of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 10 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for locomotive engineers rank?
The median of $81,410 a year ranks 208th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on pay and the lower half on openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Work experience in a related occupation: less than 5 years.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | +0.8% | 900 | $68,840 |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | +0.9% | 3,000 | $78,000 |
| Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | +0.8% | 300 | $60,600 |
| Subway and Streetcar Operators | +3.7% | 900 | $86,380 |
| Transportation Inspectors | +2.2% | 2,300 | $92,100 |
| Ship Engineers | +2.7% | 900 | $109,530 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | +3.8% | 214,500 | $58,640 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | +2.8% | 1,300 | $58,870 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.