Transportation

Locomotive Engineers

SOC 53-4011

Operate freight and passenger trains across long routes.

The job

Median pay

$81k

$75k to $93k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Stable

+0.5% projected

Openings a year

BLS projection

Typical education

High school

Our model

AI displacement risk

Moderate

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

4/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

31st pct

More exposed than 31% of occupations · modeled estimate · 37th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

46/100

Take the next step

Weigh it against Railroad ConductorsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostNew York leads at $109k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Locomotive Engineers and explore its neighbours See open jobsLocomotive Engineers roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Locomotive Engineers, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsWhat Locomotive Engineers say they actually earn

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
Active Learning

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Texas	3,780	0.3	1.3×	$79k
Illinois	2,340	0.4	1.8×	$93k
California	1,570	0.1	0.4×	$77k
New York	1,510	0.2	0.7×	$109k
Pennsylvania	1,430	0.2	1.1×	$82k
Georgia	1,286	0.3	1.2×	$77k~
Washington	1,120	0.3	1.5×	$74k
Missouri	1,110	0.4	1.8×	$79k
Indiana	1,030	0.3	1.5×	$93k
Kansas	1,020	0.7	3.3×	$75k

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Iowa	1,000	0.6	3.0×	$90k
Minnesota	990	0.3	1.6×	$94k
Michigan	922	0.2	1.0×	$77k~
New Jersey	830	0.2	0.9×	$87k
Virginia	790	0.2	0.9×	$91k
Louisiana	700	0.4	1.7×	$64k
Tennessee	700	0.2	1.0×	$81k
Massachusetts	640	0.2	0.8×	$109k
Arkansas	620	0.5	2.2×	$79k
Alabama	590	0.3	1.3×	$78k
Oregon	580	0.3	1.4×	$79k
Kentucky	540	0.3	1.3×	$78k
Maryland	523	0.2	0.9×	$83k~
Arizona	490	0.2	0.7×	$90k
Colorado	480	0.2	0.8×	$89k
Montana	470	0.9	4.3×	$90k
New Mexico	440	0.5	2.4×	$88k
South Carolina	380	0.2	0.8×	$89k
Nevada	365	0.2	1.1×	$77k~
Florida	350	0.0	0.2×	$92k
North Carolina	340	0.1	0.3×	$61k
West Virginia	340	0.5	2.3×	$64k
Utah	331	0.2	0.9×	$84k~
Connecticut	316	0.2	0.9×	$81k~
Mississippi	300	0.3	1.2×	$97k
Delaware	290	0.6	2.8×	$85k~
Oklahoma	260	0.2	0.7×	$92k
Nebraska	224	0.2	1.0×	$82k~
Wisconsin	220	0.1	0.3×	$85k
Ohio	200	0.0	0.2×	$63k
Idaho	179	0.2	1.0×	$82k~
South Dakota	150	0.3	1.5×	$69k
Hawaii	123	0.2	0.9×	$88k~
Maine	120	0.2	0.9×	$83k~
North Dakota	105	0.2	1.1×	$90k~
Rhode Island	77	0.2	0.7×	$82k~
Alaska	75	0.2	1.1×	$92k~
Wyoming	63	0.2	1.0×	$79k~
Vermont	51	0.2	0.8×	$83k~
Washington DC	45	0.1	0.3×	$91k~
New Hampshire	30	0.0	0.2×	$71k

Top metro areas

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX250 jobs · $65k median
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX100 jobs · $57k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA40 jobs · $64k median

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.