Rail Switch Operator Salary
$11K - $15K
0% of jobs
$15K - $19K
0% of jobs
$19K - $23K
0% of jobs
$23K - $27K
0% of jobs
$27K - $31K
0% of jobs
$31K - $35K
0% of jobs
$36.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$35K - $39K
79% of jobs
$39K - $43K
0% of jobs
$43K - $47K
0% of jobs
$47K - $51K
0% of jobs
$51K - $55K
21% of jobs
$11K
$36K
$55K
$40,983
/year
$19.70
/hour
Rail Switch Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$40,983
Columbus
Ohio
$39,586
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How much does a Rail Switch Operator make?
As of Aug 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Rail Switch Operator in the United States is $40,983 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $19.70 an hour. This is the equivalent of $788/week or $3,415/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $55,000 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Rail Switch Operator salaries currently range between $36,000 (25th percentile) to $54,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $54,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Rail Switch Operator varies greatly (by as much as 18000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Rail Switch Operator in your area makes on average $39,586 per year, or $1,397 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $40,983. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Rail Switch Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Rail Switch Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Rail Switch Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Rail Switch Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Rail Switch Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Beverly, MA, and Glenwood Springs, CO, close behind in the second and third positions. Glenwood Springs, CO, beats the national average by $22,824 (55.7%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $25,168 (61.4%) above the $40,983 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Rail Switch Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 31% between Pennington County, SD, and Santa Clara, CA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a Rail Switch Operator role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $66,151 | $31.80 |
Beverly, MA | $64,930 | $31.22 |
Glenwood Springs, CO | $63,807 | $30.68 |
Spearfish, SD | $59,407 | $28.56 |
Douglas County, NE | $55,205 | $26.54 |
Johnson City, TN | $52,746 | $25.36 |
Nome, AK | $50,840 | $24.44 |
Berkeley, CA | $50,182 | $24.13 |
Sitka, AK | $49,372 | $23.74 |
Santa Clara, CA | $48,117 | $23.13 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Rail Switch Operator Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Rail Switch Operator category.
For example Rail Welding jobs pay as much as $20,978 (51.2%) more than the average Rail Switch Operator salary of $40,983. If you're qualified, finding work as a Rail Welding may help you make more money than that of the average Rail Switch Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Rail Welding | $61,961 | $29.79 |
Railroad Switch Operator | $49,098 | $23.60 |
Railroad Terminal Operator | $45,418 | $21.84 |
Railroad Worker | $42,030 | $20.21 |
Rail Yard Worker | $36,156 | $17.38 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
