Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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)
44,280 6.0 % $27.03 $56,230 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $18.84 $21.43 $25.90 $32.28 $38.86
Annual Wage (2) $39,190 $44,580 $53,880 $67,140 $80,820


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 39,840 17.52 $27.20 $56,570
Local Government (OES Designation) 3,620 0.07 $26.37 $54,860
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 250 1.09 $21.75 $45,250
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 40 0.34 $10.64 $22,130

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 39,840 17.52 $27.20 $56,570
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 250 1.09 $21.75 $45,250
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 40 0.34 $10.64 $22,130
Local Government (OES Designation) 3,620 0.07 $26.37 $54,860

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rail Transportation 39,840 17.52 $27.20 $56,570
Local Government (OES Designation) 3,620 0.07 $26.37 $54,860
Support Activities for Rail Transportation 250 1.09 $21.75 $45,250
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land 40 0.34 $10.64 $22,130


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 5,110 0.61 1.76 $28.05 $58,350
Texas 4,050 0.39 1.14 $28.45 $59,180
Illinois 3,030 0.54 1.57 $27.21 $56,600
Ohio 2,580 0.52 1.50 $27.75 $57,720
California 2,170 0.15 0.45 $25.10 $52,210




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)
North Dakota 330 0.89 2.57 $25.26 $52,550
West Virginia 620 0.88 2.55 $28.57 $59,430
Kansas 890 0.68 1.98 $24.80 $51,580
Indiana 1,770 0.64 1.86 $26.59 $55,300
New York 5,110 0.61 1.76 $28.05 $58,350




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mississippi 290 0.27 0.79 $32.51 $67,630
Maryland (8) (8) (8) $31.97 $66,490
Washington (8) (8) (8) $31.86 $66,270
Wyoming (8) (8) (8) $31.67 $65,870
Massachusetts 1,230 0.39 1.13 $30.78 $64,020





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-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,800 0.55 1.60 $26.20 $54,490
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 40 0.17 0.50 $22.21 $46,190




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-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,800 0.55 1.60 $26.20 $54,490
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 40 0.17 0.50 $22.21 $46,190




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)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,800 0.55 1.60 $26.20 $54,490
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (8) (8) (8) $25.73 $53,520
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 40 0.17 0.50 $22.21 $46,190


About May 2011 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 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.

(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 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012