Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

53-4021 Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators

Operate railroad track switches. Couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Signal engineers by hand or flagging. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
16,410 5.5 % $23.03 $47,900 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.12 $17.75 $21.46 $28.06 $34.69
Annual Wage (2) $29,370 $36,930 $44,640 $58,360 $72,160

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Rail transportation 14,750 $23.78 $49,450
Support activities for rail transportation 720 $13.02 $27,080
Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy mfg. 50 $25.42 $52,880

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy mfg. 50 $25.42 $52,880
Rail transportation 14,750 $23.78 $49,450
Federal government (OES designation) (7) $19.67 $40,910
Support activities for rail transportation 720 $13.02 $27,080

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Louisiana 660 $22.15 $46,060 0.035%
Mississippi 370 $26.28 $54,670 0.034%
Iowa 470 $24.48 $50,920 0.033%
Tennessee 710 $18.07 $37,580 0.027%
Kentucky 390 $23.92 $49,760 0.023%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Colorado (7) $26.71 $55,550 (7)
Mississippi 370 $26.28 $54,670 0.034%
Minnesota 530 $24.95 $51,900 0.020%
Iowa 470 $24.48 $50,920 0.033%
Ohio (7) $24.10 $50,140 (7)

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houston, TX PMSA (7) $12.49 $25,980 (7)

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005