Careers / Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$78,000
United States, 2025
Employment
46,440
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Observe yard traffic to determine tracks available to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$58,740
25th percentile
$65,610
75th percentile
$83,820
90th percentile
$109,770
Most important skills
- Coordination3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Active Listening3.5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5
- Operations Monitoring3.4
- Operation and Control3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Management of Personnel Resources3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 18 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
18
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Speaking | 3.8 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Railroad Conductors and YardmastersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| OK | $102,260 | 310 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $96,120 | 80 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $92,400 | 50 | 2025 |
| PA | $83,610 | 2,750 | 2025 |
| MD | $83,390 | 300 | 2025 |
| IN | $81,260 | 1,720 | 2025 |
| DE | $80,410 | — | 2025 |
| NY | $80,000 | 6,980 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $80,000 | 3,800 | 2025 |
| VA | $79,900 | 900 | 2025 |
| IL | $79,820 | 2,790 | 2025 |
| FL | $79,600 | 760 | 2025 |
| WA | $79,040 | 810 | 2025 |
| MI | $78,960 | 760 | 2025 |
| MN | $78,930 | 830 | 2025 |
| AZ | $78,080 | 460 | 2025 |
| MS | $78,010 | 440 | 2025 |
| NM | $77,890 | 400 | 2025 |
| CO | $77,550 | 490 | 2025 |
| GA | $75,810 | 1,740 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.