Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters: $81K vs $78K Median Pay

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters: what changes?

Consider Locomotive Engineers if you want to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Consider Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters if you would rather coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Locomotive Engineers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Locomotive Engineers and Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Locomotive Engineers

National median pay (2025): $81,410
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Locomotive Engineers brief

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

National median pay (2025): $78,000
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Signal engineers to begin train runs, stop trains, or change speed, using telecommunications equipment or hand signals.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,000

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.9%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters brief

How the national numbers differ

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters has the edge on annual openings

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is at 3,000 annual openings, compared with 2,000 annual openings for Locomotive Engineers.

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

Locomotive Engineers is at $81,410, compared with $78,000 for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters.

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters has the edge on projected growth

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters is at 0.9% projected growth, compared with 0.5% projected growth for Locomotive Engineers.

51.4/ 100

Locomotive Engineers

53.2/ 100

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

Dimension	Locomotive Engineers	Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
Median pay (2025)	$81,410	$78,000
Pay percentile	74 percentile	69.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.5%	0.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,000	3,000
2025 employment	27,400	38,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Locomotive Engineers brief Read Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters brief

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Locomotive Engineers

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

How the national numbers differ

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters has the edge on annual openings

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters has the edge on projected growth

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters

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