Locomotive Engineers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$81,410

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$75,190 – $93,260

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

33,470

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+0.5%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

2,000

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Interpret train orders, electronic or manual signals, and railroad rules and regulations.

Main tasks

• Receive starting signals from conductors and use controls such as throttles or air brakes to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas turbine-electric locomotives.
• Monitor gauges or meters that measure speed, amperage, battery charge, or air pressure in brake lines or in main reservoirs.
• Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
• Observe tracks to detect obstructions.
• Confer with conductors or traffic control center personnel via radiophones to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, or oncoming trains.
• Inspect locomotives to verify adequate fuel, sand, water, or other supplies before each run or to check for mechanical problems.
• Operate locomotives to transport freight or passengers between stations or to assemble or disassemble trains within rail yards.
• Respond to emergency conditions or breakdowns, following applicable safety procedures and rules.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

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• Subway and Streetcar Operators

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