Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Career, Salary and Skills
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $78,000 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 46,440. Wage data is published for 40 locations.
Occupation 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.
O*NET code
53-4031.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$78,000
Hourly median
$37.50
Employment
46,440
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.75 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Coordination | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.50 | 3.00 |
| Active Listening | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Operation and Control | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.25 | 3.38 |
Typical tasks
- Receive instructions from dispatchers regarding trains' routes, timetables, and cargoes.
- Direct and instruct workers engaged in yard activities, such as switching tracks, coupling and uncoupling cars, and routing inbound and outbound traffic.
- Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals.
- Direct engineers to move cars to fit planned train configurations, combining or separating cars to make up or break up trains.
- Confirm routes and destination information for freight cars.
- Arrange for the removal of defective cars from trains at stations or stops.
- Review schedules, switching orders, way bills, and shipping records to obtain cargo loading and unloading information and to plan work.
- Observe yard traffic to determine tracks available to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic.
Technology
- Automated equipment identification AEI software
- Bourque Data Systems YardMaster
- Freight reservation software
- Inventory tracking software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Positive train control PTC systems
- RailComm DocYard
- SAIC government services and IT support software
- Softrail AEI Automatic Yard Tracking System
- Softrail AEI Rail & Road Manager
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in NYMedian $80,000 · Employment 6,980
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in TXMedian $68,980 · Employment 4,640
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in New York, NYMedian $80,000 · Employment 3,800
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in ILMedian $79,820 · Employment 2,790
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in PAMedian $83,610 · Employment 2,750
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in GAMedian $75,810 · Employment 1,740
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in INMedian $81,260 · Employment 1,720
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in CAMedian $69,950 · Employment 1,500
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in OHMedian $61,390 · Employment 1,480
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in KSMedian $68,730 · Employment 1,200
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in MOMedian $68,030 · Employment 970
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters Salary in VAMedian $79,900 · Employment 900
Related careers
- Highway Maintenance WorkersNational median $50,260
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversNational median $58,640
- First-Line Supervisors of Passenger AttendantsNational median not published
- Power Distributors and DispatchersNational median $106,730
- Light Truck DriversNational median $44,860
- Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityNational median $59,050
- Transit and Railroad PoliceNational median $90,230
- Signal and Track Switch RepairersNational median $92,460
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.