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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

53-4031 Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
42,360 5.1 % $31.77 $66,080 1.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.49 $25.72 $30.26 $37.81 $45.83
Annual Wage (2) $44,690 $53,490 $62,930 $78,640 $95,330


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 37,690 16.21 $32.16 $66,890
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 3,700 0.07 $28.57 $59,420
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 460 1.35 $25.16 $52,340
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 210 0.01 $38.86 $80,830
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 100 0.71 $17.46 $36,330

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 37,690 16.21 $32.16 $66,890
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 460 1.35 $25.16 $52,340
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 100 0.71 $17.46 $36,330
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 3,700 0.07 $28.57 $59,420
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 210 0.01 $38.86 $80,830

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 210 0.01 $38.86 $80,830
Rail Transportation 37,690 16.21 $32.16 $66,890
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 3,700 0.07 $28.57 $59,420
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 460 1.35 $25.16 $52,340
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 100 0.71 $17.46 $36,330


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 5,900 0.63 2.15 $32.00 $66,560
Texas 3,940 0.33 1.11 $33.44 $69,560
Pennsylvania 3,020 0.52 1.76 $31.79 $66,110
Illinois 2,690 0.45 1.53 $32.89 $68,410
Ohio 1,710 0.32 1.08 $32.13 $66,830




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 730 2.69 9.20 $34.93 $72,660
District of Columbia 680 0.95 3.25 $32.10 $66,770
New York 5,900 0.63 2.15 $32.00 $66,560
Pennsylvania 3,020 0.52 1.76 $31.79 $66,110
Indiana 1,580 0.52 1.78 $29.98 $62,370




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Maryland 360 0.13 0.45 $37.40 $77,790
California 1,480 0.09 0.30 $36.14 $75,170
Massachusetts 360 0.10 0.35 $35.56 $73,950
Wyoming 730 2.69 9.20 $34.93 $72,660
New Jersey 980 0.24 0.83 $33.89 $70,500





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,730 0.39 1.34 $28.53 $59,340
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 640 0.20 0.70 $32.48 $67,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 610 0.31 1.05 $32.81 $68,240




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,730 0.39 1.34 $28.53 $59,340
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 610 0.31 1.05 $32.81 $68,240
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 640 0.20 0.70 $32.48 $67,560




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 610 0.31 1.05 $32.81 $68,240
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 640 0.20 0.70 $32.48 $67,560
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,730 0.39 1.34 $28.53 $59,340
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (8) (8) (8) $26.29 $54,680
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $24.76 $51,500


About May 2018 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019