53
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is a notable career in the 53 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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| soc | 53-4031 |
| title | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters |
| onet code | 53-4031.00 |
| description | 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. |
| job zone | 2 |
| major group | 53 |
| tot emp | 42,710 |
| a mean | 75,490 |
| a median | 74,080 |
| a pct10 | 53,490 |
| a pct25 | 63,480 |
| a pct75 | 82,060 |
| a pct90 | 103,350 |
| h mean | 36 |
| h median | 35 |
The day-to-day work of a railroad conductors and yardmasters typically centers on signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Monitoring, Coordination, and Speaking. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.52 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working railroad conductors and yardmasters, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (85.6%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Indiana at $82,460 and lowest in Kentucky at $51,570 — a 1.6× spread. The top five states (Indiana, Florida, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland) average $80,572. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | $82,460 | $79,670 | $65,370 | $82,610 | 1,670 |
| Florida | $82,060 | $74,670 | $49,180 | $82,060 | 1,250 |
| Delaware | $80,970 | $81,450 | $64,250 | $106,170 | — |
| Pennsylvania | $79,180 | $73,090 | $50,910 | $79,750 | 2,580 |
| Maryland | $78,190 | $80,220 | $57,540 | $109,500 | 280 |
| New York | $78,050 | $84,800 | $64,010 | $107,830 | 6,740 |
| Nebraska | $77,330 | $84,070 | $63,270 | $109,700 | 1,210 |
| Virginia | $76,720 | $69,450 | $49,560 | $79,230 | — |
| Iowa | $76,640 | $76,610 | $63,370 | $77,300 | 1,080 |
| Oklahoma | $76,040 | $83,900 | $61,360 | $110,370 | 360 |
| Montana | $75,990 | $74,590 | $63,260 | $88,190 | 120 |
| Illinois | $75,970 | $80,240 | $57,760 | $97,260 | 2,570 |
| Arizona | $74,160 | $74,460 | $52,370 | $100,770 | 400 |
| Michigan | $73,780 | $74,420 | $51,370 | $86,290 | 660 |
| South Carolina | $72,520 | $85,490 | $47,370 | $182,940 | 180 |
| Minnesota | $71,930 | $76,020 | $60,660 | $98,260 | 590 |
| Idaho | $70,210 | $68,420 | $49,930 | $77,740 | 290 |
| Colorado | $70,000 | $76,740 | $52,240 | $107,770 | 400 |
| New Mexico | $69,460 | $71,410 | $56,390 | $81,010 | 380 |
| Wisconsin | $67,670 | $67,400 | $66,600 | $67,680 | 410 |
| Texas | $67,580 | $70,010 | $62,970 | $77,790 | 4,340 |
| California | $67,550 | $74,040 | $67,010 | $104,690 | 1,390 |
| Oregon | $66,910 | $69,100 | $59,790 | $88,830 | 410 |
| Wyoming | $66,760 | $77,620 | $66,760 | $101,600 | — |
| Missouri | $66,370 | $69,510 | $66,290 | $77,950 | 590 |
| Arkansas | $66,070 | $67,820 | $46,330 | $83,050 | 530 |
| Kansas | $65,940 | $62,390 | $49,000 | $79,290 | 1,300 |
| New Hampshire | $62,160 | $70,290 | $57,560 | $92,630 | 60 |
| West Virginia | $62,120 | $71,860 | $42,460 | $101,700 | 340 |
| Georgia | $61,920 | $67,400 | $46,410 | $91,570 | 1,370 |
| Tennessee | $61,890 | $67,180 | $45,060 | $92,570 | 730 |
| South Dakota | $61,860 | $59,520 | $37,530 | $79,150 | 110 |
| Washington | $61,860 | $69,600 | $61,650 | $87,300 | 1,020 |
| North Carolina | $55,880 | $62,720 | $50,730 | $81,010 | 500 |
| Ohio | $53,490 | $57,040 | $53,170 | $71,530 | 890 |
| Kentucky | $51,570 | $52,540 | $51,500 | $56,960 | 130 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for railroad conductors and yardmasters. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Car Chaser or Car Dispatcher frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters compares to others in the 53 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
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