Railroad conductors & yardmasters

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2024 Workforce

46.1k

Average Age

42.8

Estimated Job Growth

1.09%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$85,238

Average Male Salary

$85,531

Average Female Salary

$81,798

About

Railroad conductors & yardmasters are most often employed by the Rail transportation industry. The average yearly wage for Railroad conductors & yardmasters was $85,238 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Railroad conductors & yardmasters are Kootenai County (Northeast)--Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls & Hayden Cities PUMA, ID, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (Outside Roanoke & Salem Cities) PUMA, VA, and Orange & Hardin Counties PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Railroad conductors & yardmasters are Southwest Nebraska PUMA, NE, Will County (West Central)--Joliet & Troy Townships PUMA, IL, and Orange & Hardin Counties PUMA, TX.

Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations Transportation & Material Moving Occupations Transportation Occupations

Employment and salary information for the Railroad conductors & yardmasters workforce. Railroad conductors & yardmasters workforce in 2024 was 46,108 people, of which 7.84% were women and 92.2% were men.

Railroad conductors & yardmasters are paid most in Nassau County (Southeast)--Oyster Bay Town (South) PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Southwest Nebraska PUMA, NE.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

42,493

Male Workforce

± 5.06k

3,615

Female Workforce

± 1.48k

The Railroad conductors & yardmasters workforce in 2024 was 46,108 people (7.84% women and 92.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of −2.93% between 2014 (47,500) and 2024 (46,108).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nebraska ($115,530), Arizona ($107,686), and Wyoming ($107,062).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$85,238

AVERAGE WAGE

#113 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Railroad conductors & yardmasters earned an average of $85,238, $15,361 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Railroad conductors & yardmasters in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.252

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Railroad conductors & yardmasters had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.252, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Railroad conductors & yardmasters (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Railroad conductors & yardmasters compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Railroad conductors & yardmasters and on wages for those in the field. Rail transportation is the industry that employs the most Railroad conductors & yardmasters, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Railroad conductors & yardmasters, by average wage, is Administration of economic programs & space research ($96,599).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

46.1k

2024 Workforce

± 5,271

3.18%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 15.8%

This graphic shows the share of Railroad conductors & yardmasters employed by various industries. Rail transportation employs the largest share of Railroad conductors & yardmasters at 91.7%, followed by Bus service & urban transit with 3.89% and Construction with 2.65%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the US. The workforce of Railroad conductors & yardmasters in 2024 was 46,108 people, with 7.84% woman, and 92.2% men. The average age of male Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the workforce is 42.6 and of female Railroad conductors & yardmasters is 45.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Railroad conductors & yardmasters is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Railroad conductors & yardmasters in 2024 was 46,108 people, with 7.84% woman, and 92.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 35 to 39 years (6,907 people), 40 to 44 years (6,474 people), and 45 to 49 years (6,329 people). Among them they concentrated 43.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 14.2% of Railroad conductors & yardmasters workers were Hispanic and 85.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (63.9%), Puerto Rican (21)%, and Cuban (4.75)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 66.6% of the Railroad conductors & yardmasters workforce were White, of which 5.36% were women and 94.6% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (8.33%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Railroad conductors & yardmasters from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Railroad conductors & yardmasters is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Transportation.

Among the necessary skills for Railroad conductors & yardmasters, Monitoring stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Railroad conductors & yardmasters need more than the average amount of Management of Personnel Resources.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Railroad conductors & yardmasters in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (1,670 people), Protective Services (702 people), and Social Sciences (522 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Railroad conductors & yardmasters workers were High School or Equivalent (17,251 people), Some college (16,016 people), and Bachelors Degree (5,599 people).

The graphic shows the Railroad conductors & yardmasters workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Railroad conductors & yardmasters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Railroad conductors & yardmasters need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters are expected to see a growth of 1.09% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters.

1.09%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Railroad conductors & yardmasters. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.