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The national median salary for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers is $60,611 per year ($29.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $52,770 and $80,350 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $100,277 per year. There are approximately 3,920 rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.3%
Little or no change
Annual openings
200
per year, on avg
Workforce today
3K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 3 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Rail Transportation
NAICS 482100
2K
$72,590
Support Activities for Rail Transportation
NAICS 488200
1K
$50,000
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
240
$68,480
Wage range across top 5 industries: $50,000 to $72,590 (45% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$21.41
$44,533
P25
$25.37
$52,770
P50MEDIAN
$29.14
$60,611
P75
$38.63
$80,350
P90
$48.21
$100,277
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 rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers salary?
The national median salary for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers is $60,611 per year ($29.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $52,770 and $80,350 annually.
How much do top-earning rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers is $100,277 per year ($48.21/hr). The 75th percentile is $80,350 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers?
Entry-level Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers (10th percentile) earn approximately $44,533 per year ($21.41/hr). The 25th percentile is $52,770 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.