Locomotive engineer earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level locomotive engineer earnings begin at:

$49.02 per hour

$101,960 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level locomotive engineer earnings begin at:

$38.83 per hour

$80,760 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level locomotive engineer earnings begin at:

$31.17 per hour

$64,830 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level locomotive engineer earnings begin at:

$27.20 per hour

$56,570 per year

10th percentile

Starting level locomotive engineer earnings begin at:

$23.41 per hour

$48,690 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Locomotive engineer salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Washington $90,250
Delaware $84,870
New York $84,340
Wyoming $83,500
South Dakota $80,130
California $77,590
New Mexico $75,600
Kansas $72,370
Illinois $71,557
Pennsylvania $69,910
Iowa $68,110
Missouri $67,360
Maryland $65,060
Virginia $64,830
Mississippi $64,730
Arkansas $64,360
Tennessee $63,760
Alabama $63,360
Maine $63,100
Massachusetts $63,030
Nebraska $62,100
Arizona $61,850
Minnesota $61,580
Montana $61,270
Michigan $61,070
Ohio $61,020
Florida $60,660
South Carolina $60,410
Wisconsin $60,260
Louisiana $59,800
Texas $59,710
West Virginia $59,570
Idaho $59,510
New Jersey $59,510
Oregon $59,370
Indiana $59,180
Nevada $58,250
North Carolina $57,620
Kentucky $56,190
Utah $55,960
Georgia $55,400
Oklahoma $49,850
New Hampshire $47,260

How do locomotive engineer salaries compare to similar careers?

Locomotive engineers earn about the same as related careers in Virginia. On average, they make less than freight and cargo inspectors but more than power engineers.

Career Median Salary
Freight and cargo inspector salary $75K
Ship captain salary $71K
Shipmate salary $71K
Ship engineer salary $60K
Geodesist salary $63K
Locomotive engineer salary $65K
Aircraft mechanic salary $67K
Avionics technician salary $67K
Industrial engineering technician salary $55K
Power engineer salary $51K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)