Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Locomotive Engineers is $81,411 per year ($39.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $75,192 and $93,267 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $109,221 per year. There are approximately 33,470 locomotive engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Interpret train orders, electronic or manual signals, and railroad rules and regulations.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.7%
Little or no change
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
27K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Rail Transportation
NAICS 482100
32K
$81,900
Support Activities for Rail Transportation
NAICS 488200
610
$55,640
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
500
$82,490
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land
NAICS 487100
80
$47,920
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing
NAICS 331100
60
$57,730
Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,920 to $82,490 (72% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.17
$60,674
P25
$36.15
$75,192
P50MEDIAN
$39.14
$81,411
P75
$44.84
$93,267
P90
$52.51
$109,221
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average locomotive engineers salary?
The national median salary for Locomotive Engineers is $81,411 per year ($39.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $75,192 and $93,267 annually.
How much do top-earning locomotive engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Locomotive Engineers is $109,221 per year ($52.51/hr). The 75th percentile is $93,267 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for locomotive engineers?
Entry-level Locomotive Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $60,674 per year ($29.17/hr). The 25th percentile is $75,192 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.