Railroad Engineer

Railroad Engineer Salary

$11K

$50K

$133K

$55,971

/year

$26.91

/hour

Railroad Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$55,971

Columbus

Ohio

$54,062

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    How much does a Railroad Engineer make?

    As of Sep 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Railroad Engineer in the United States is $55,971 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $26.91 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,076/week or $4,664/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $133,000 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Railroad Engineer salaries currently range between $34,000 (25th percentile) to $59,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $121,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Railroad Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 25000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Railroad Engineer in your area makes on average $54,062 per year, or $1,909 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $55,971. Ohio ranks number 42 out of 50 states nationwide for Railroad Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Railroad Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Railroad Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Railroad Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Railroad Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $11,456 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $13,461 (24.0%) above the $55,971 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Railroad Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Nome, AK, and Arlington, VA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Railroad Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $69,432

    $33.38

    Berkeley, CA

    $68,533

    $32.95

    Sitka, AK

    $67,427

    $32.42

    San Jose, CA

    $66,267

    $31.86

    San Francisco, CA

    $65,943

    $31.70

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $65,690

    $31.58

    Livermore, CA

    $65,653

    $31.56

    Oakland, CA

    $65,541

    $31.51

    Santa Clara, CA

    $65,224

    $31.36

    Arlington, VA

    $64,392

    $30.96

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Railroad Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Railroad Engineer category.

    For example Hcss jobs pay as much as $32,542 (58.1%) more than the average Railroad Engineer salary of $55,971. If you're qualified, finding work as a Hcss may help you make more money than that of the average Railroad Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Hcss

    $88,513

    $42.55

    Lead Estimator

    $78,849

    $37.91

    Design Thinking Consultant

    $61,236

    $29.44

    Concrete Contractor

    $50,307

    $24.19

    Caltrans Highway Maintenance Worker

    $48,201

    $23.17

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Railroad Engineer salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $55,971 per year or $26.91 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.