Construction and Building Inspectors
Median $74,690
Occupation · SOC 47-4061
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$70,070 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $68,740
- Median hourly wage
- $33.69
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.05
- Employment
- 19,580
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-4061.
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How much do rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators make?
The median annual wage for rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators was $70,070 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,640 and the highest-paid 10% more than $87,420. As an hourly rate, the median is $33.69. About 19,580 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($94,330), Maryland ($92,030) and New York ($87,150). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Mexico.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,640 | $21.94 | $3,803 | $3,238 |
| 25th percentile | $51,280 | $24.65 | $4,273 | $3,615 |
| Median | $70,070 | $33.69 | $5,839 | $4,844 |
| 75th percentile | $81,670 | $39.27 | $6,806 | $5,524 |
| 90th percentile | $87,420 | $42.03 | $7,285 | $5,861 |
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: pay by state
39 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$70,193 take-home in national prices
2
$66,436 take-home in national prices
3
$66,281 take-home in national prices
Where a median rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 570 | $94,330 | $61,570 | $101,350 | $70,261 | $66,436 |
| Maryland | 320 | $92,030 | $62,090 | $100,490 | $69,568 | $66,281 |
| New York | 3,590 | $87,150 | $58,580 | $87,420 | $65,623 | $60,807 |
| Virginia | 360 | $84,750 | $59,820 | $92,270 | $64,393 | $63,689 |
| New Mexico | 80 | $83,370 | $46,160 | $90,440 | $64,727 | $70,193 |
| Delaware | 130 | $80,610 | $43,620 | $92,150 | $61,237 | $61,355 |
| Montana | 200 | $79,170 | $51,400 | $80,440 | $61,414 | $64,889 |
| Idaho | 90 | $79,020 | $48,570 | $81,820 | $61,341 | $64,235 |
| Illinois | 1,190 | $78,910 | $51,500 | $92,500 | $60,582 | $60,607 |
| Indiana | 320 | $78,020 | $58,170 | $82,100 | $61,445 | $65,837 |
| Arizona | 170 | $76,620 | $45,590 | $89,530 | $61,210 | $60,799 |
| Michigan | 290 | $75,450 | $46,590 | $91,480 | $58,953 | $61,271 |
| Kentucky | 270 | $73,120 | $46,650 | $73,200 | $57,828 | $64,140 |
| South Carolina | 30 | $71,770 | $41,030 | $76,150 | $56,877 | $60,670 |
| Wyoming | 220 | $71,580 | $48,830 | $79,810 | $59,187 | $63,854 |
| California | 770 | $71,170 | $45,820 | $86,240 | $55,505 | $50,131 |
| New Jersey | 230 | $66,540 | $53,590 | $107,830 | $53,042 | $48,750 |
| Tennessee | 260 | $66,390 | $47,700 | $78,430 | $55,524 | $60,438 |
| South Dakota | 110 | $64,500 | $47,890 | $73,150 | $54,006 | $60,964 |
| Missouri | 410 | $64,390 | $47,160 | $71,500 | $51,828 | $57,069 |
| Colorado | 300 | $64,300 | $39,790 | $84,850 | $51,441 | $49,918 |
| Utah | 60 | $63,190 | $52,110 | $83,310 | $50,523 | $51,103 |
| Georgia | 710 | $63,010 | $40,150 | $78,290 | $50,413 | $52,354 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $61,860 | $47,450 | $79,650 | $49,646 | $56,517 |
| Florida | 490 | $61,220 | $45,100 | $62,850 | $51,370 | $49,674 |
| Arkansas | 150 | $60,230 | $48,420 | $70,830 | $48,834 | $56,172 |
| Pennsylvania | 830 | $59,800 | $47,500 | $81,820 | $48,352 | $49,555 |
| Washington | 500 | $58,740 | $51,280 | $73,620 | $48,563 | $45,380 |
| Kansas | 310 | $58,590 | $49,300 | $71,890 | $46,787 | $51,947 |
| Nevada | 40 | $56,740 | $45,180 | $73,810 | $47,771 | $47,781 |
| West Virginia | 270 | $56,660 | $46,940 | $71,010 | $45,981 | $51,377 |
| Texas | 940 | $56,470 | $43,460 | $70,910 | $47,554 | $48,996 |
| Oregon | 190 | $50,930 | $41,430 | $85,080 | $39,521 | $38,236 |
| Minnesota | 760 | $49,640 | $45,090 | $85,120 | $39,995 | $40,554 |
| Ohio | 1,130 | $47,980 | $45,180 | $68,970 | $39,856 | $42,960 |
| Wisconsin | 180 | $47,920 | $47,850 | $72,820 | $39,209 | $41,670 |
| North Carolina | 270 | $47,700 | $39,560 | $75,980 | $39,112 | $41,465 |
| Iowa | 200 | $45,640 | $32,010 | $81,440 | $37,769 | $43,036 |
| Louisiana | Not published | $44,150 | $40,480 | $55,710 | $36,716 | $41,625 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-4061. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.