Transportation
Railroad Safety Inspectors
SOC 53-6051
Inspect railroad tracks, equipment, and operations for safety compliance.
The job
Median pay
$92k
$59k to $109k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.2% projected
Openings a year
2k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school plus experience
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
41st pct
More exposed than 41% of occupations · modeled estimate · 46th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
49/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 3,720 | 0.4 | 2.4× | $93k |
| Texas | 2,290 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $101k |
| California | 1,790 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $83k |
| Florida | 1,630 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $101k |
| Illinois | 1,130 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $48k |
| New Jersey | 930 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $49k |
| Georgia | 880 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $95k |
| Arizona | 830 | 0.3 | 1.6× | $62k |
| Alabama | 670 | 0.3 | 2.0× | $108k |
| Michigan | 540 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $36k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 490 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $104k |
| Oklahoma | 470 | 0.3 | 1.8× | $111k |
| Colorado | 460 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $82k |
| South Carolina | 440 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $80k |
| Nevada | 430 | 0.3 | 1.8× | $50k |
| Ohio | 430 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $77k |
| Tennessee | 420 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $78k |
| Massachusetts | 419 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $80k~ |
| Missouri | 380 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $65k |
| North Carolina | 380 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $84k |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $82k |
| Connecticut | 330 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $92k |
| Virginia | 330 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $69k |
| Minnesota | 310 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $93k |
| Kentucky | 260 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $84k |
| Indiana | 250 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $80k |
| Maryland | 250 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $101k |
| Oregon | 250 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $78k |
| New Mexico | 230 | 0.3 | 1.7× | $64k |
| Mississippi | 220 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $79k~ |
| Kansas | 210 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $103k |
| Utah | 210 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Nebraska | 200 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $93k~ |
| Montana | 180 | 0.4 | 2.2× | $63k |
| Alaska | 170 | 0.5 | 3.3× | $123k |
| Idaho | 170 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $54k |
| Washington DC | 150 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $90k |
| Hawaii | 150 | 0.2 | 1.5× | $108k |
| Louisiana | 130 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $77k |
| Arkansas | 120 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $85k |
| Wisconsin | 120 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $75k |
| South Dakota | 100 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $70k |
| New Hampshire | 92 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $91k~ |
| Delaware | 90 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $96k~ |
| Maine | 90 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $64k |
| West Virginia | 90 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $59k |
| Iowa | 60 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $117k |
| North Dakota | 60 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $106k |
| Rhode Island | 56 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $93k~ |
| Wyoming | 46 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $98k~ |
| Vermont | 37 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $94k~ |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ4,000 jobs · $93k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX890 jobs · $126k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL820 jobs · $100k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ690 jobs · $52k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN570 jobs · $55k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA560 jobs · $101k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA480 jobs · $108k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX480 jobs · $93k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Railroad Safety Inspectors interactively →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.