Rail Car Repairers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$67,530

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$54,520 – $84,570

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

21,350

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+2.6%

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

Openings a year (projected)

1,600

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

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

Main tasks

• Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.
• Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
• Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
• Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
• Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
• Test units for operability before and after repairs.
• Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation.
• Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.

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

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: long-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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