SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 47-4061.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $45,640 | $3,803 | $878 | $21.94 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $51,280 | $4,273 | $986 | $24.65 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $70,070 | $5,839 | $1,348 | $33.69 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $81,670 | $6,806 | $1,571 | $39.27 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $87,420 | $7,285 | $1,681 | $42.03 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is $70,070, which is 37% higher. Among the 60 occupations of the field Construction and Extraction, it ranks number 10 by median pay. With 19,580 jobs, it makes up about 1.3 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators pay by state
The highest median pay was in Massachusetts ($94,330), Maryland ($92,030) and New York ($87,150). The lowest was in Louisiana ($44,150), Iowa ($45,640) and North Carolina ($47,700). The most jobs were in New York (3,590), Illinois (1,190) and Ohio (1,130). The occupation is most concentrated in Wyoming, where its share of all jobs is 6.3 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 570 | $94,330 | $84,610 | $45.35 |
| Maryland | 320 | $92,030 | $90,980 | $44.25 |
| New York | 3,590 | $87,150 | $79,670 | $41.90 |
| Virginia | 360 | $84,750 | $79,300 | $40.75 |
| New Mexico | 80 | $83,370 | $72,100 | $40.08 |
| Delaware | 130 | $80,610 | $72,540 | $38.75 |
| Montana | 200 | $79,170 | $75,000 | $38.06 |
| Idaho | 90 | $79,020 | $71,080 | $37.99 |
| Illinois | 1,190 | $78,910 | $79,340 | $37.94 |
| Indiana | 320 | $78,020 | $75,110 | $37.51 |
| Arizona | 170 | $76,620 | $71,340 | $36.84 |
| Michigan | 290 | $75,450 | $70,140 | $36.27 |
| Kentucky | 270 | $73,120 | $64,970 | $35.16 |
| South Carolina | 30 | $71,770 | $67,950 | $34.51 |
| Wyoming | 220 | $71,580 | $69,240 | $34.41 |
| California | 770 | $71,170 | $67,340 | $34.22 |
| New Jersey | 230 | $66,540 | $74,750 | $31.99 |
| Tennessee | 260 | $66,390 | $69,020 | $31.92 |
| South Dakota | 110 | $64,500 | $62,120 | $31.01 |
| Missouri | 410 | $64,390 | $60,020 | $30.96 |
| Colorado | 300 | $64,300 | $66,900 | $30.91 |
| Utah | 60 | $63,190 | $67,870 | $30.38 |
| Georgia | 710 | $63,010 | $64,890 | $30.30 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $61,860 | $64,310 | $29.74 |
| Florida | 490 | $61,220 | $55,930 | $29.43 |
| Arkansas | 150 | $60,230 | $59,740 | $28.96 |
| Pennsylvania | 830 | $59,800 | $65,580 | $28.75 |
| Washington | 500 | $58,740 | $67,430 | $28.24 |
| Kansas | 310 | $58,590 | $62,610 | $28.17 |
| Nevada | 40 | $56,740 | $57,910 | $27.28 |
| West Virginia | 270 | $56,660 | $56,810 | $27.24 |
| Texas | 940 | $56,470 | $58,990 | $27.15 |
| Oregon | 190 | $50,930 | $58,610 | $24.49 |
| Minnesota | 760 | $49,640 | $59,700 | $23.86 |
| Ohio | 1,130 | $47,980 | $52,280 | $23.07 |
| Wisconsin | 180 | $47,920 | $55,300 | $23.04 |
| North Carolina | 270 | $47,700 | $53,250 | $22.93 |
| Iowa | 200 | $45,640 | $53,890 | $21.94 |
| Louisiana | not published | $44,150 | $46,010 | $21.23 |
| Mississippi | 310 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining$74,500 a year
- Pile Driver Operators$73,300 a year
- Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other$70,130 a year
- Tapers$68,270 a year
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$67,890 a year
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800 a year
Common questions
How much do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators earn in the United States?
The median pay was $70,070 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,640 and the highest-paid 10% more than $87,420.
How many people work as Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators?
About 19,580 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.