Railroad conductors & yardmasters

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

48.4k

Average Age

41.1

Estimated Job Growth

−2.22%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$75,081

Average Male Salary

$76,083

Average Female Salary

$60,579

About

Railroad conductors & yardmasters are most often employed by the Rail transportation industry. The average yearly wage for Railroad conductors & yardmasters was $75,081 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Railroad conductors & yardmasters by wage are Miscellaneous plant & system operators, Physical therapists, and Computer occupations, all other.

Railroad conductors & yardmasters are part of the Transportation Occupations, along with Supervisors of transportation & material moving workers, Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists, Flight attendants, Ambulance drivers & attendants, except emergency medical technicians, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Railroad conductors & yardmasters are Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls & Hayden Cities PUMA, ID, North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE, and Bloom & Rich Townships PUMA, IL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Railroad conductors & yardmasters are North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls & Hayden Cities PUMA, ID, and Great Falls City PUMA, MT.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Railroad conductors & yardmasters and on wages and locations 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. Railroad conductors & yardmasters are paid most in Lake County (South) PUMA, IN but are relatively concentrated in North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE.

Yearly Wage

$75,081

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,036

In 2020, Railroad conductors & yardmasters earned an average of $75,081, $19,128 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Miscellaneous plant & system operators make somewhat more than Railroad conductors & yardmasters while Physical therapists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Railroad conductors & yardmasters as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.242

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Railroad conductors & yardmasters had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.242, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Railroad conductors & yardmasters (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Railroad conductors & yardmasters

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Railroad conductors & yardmasters, by number of employees, are Rail transportation, Bus service & urban transit, Construction, Services incidental to transportation, Administration of economic programs & space research, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Building material & supplies dealers, Support activities for mining, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Truck transportation, and Iron & steel mills & steel product manufacturing.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Railroad conductors & yardmasters, by average wage, are Administration of economic programs & space research, Rail transportation, and Iron & steel mills & steel product manufacturing.

Industries by Share

48.4k

2020 Workforce

± 5,399

−4.07%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 16.3%

The number of people employed as Railroad conductors & yardmasters has been declining at a rate of −4.07%, from 50,432 people in 2019 to 48,377 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Railroad conductors & yardmasters employed by various industries. Rail transportation employs the largest share of Railroad conductors & yardmasters at 87.9%, followed by Bus service & urban transit with 3.86% and Construction with 1.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the US. The average age of male Railroad conductors & yardmasters in the workforce is 41 and of female Railroad conductors & yardmasters is 42.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Railroad conductors & yardmasters is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

45.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,222

3.12k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 1,372

93.5% of Railroad conductors & yardmasters are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Railroad conductors & yardmasters

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

70.2% of Railroad conductors & yardmasters are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 17.2% of Railroad conductors & yardmasters, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Age by Sex

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.28

42.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 5

The median age of Railroad conductors & yardmasters is 41.1, and Male employees are generally 1.17 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Railroad conductors & yardmasters hold a major in Transportation.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Railroad conductors & yardmasters need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Management of Personnel Resources, and Operation Monitoring.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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 3.71%, but Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters are expected to see a growth of −2.22% 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.

−2.22%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.