Locomotive Engineers Salary
Locomotive Engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $57,140 a year, or about $27.47 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $73K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $57,934 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 39.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $57K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About locomotive engineers
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for locomotive engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 30% below the U.S. median of $81K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 39.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for locomotive engineerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for locomotive engineers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $65K | $63K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level locomotive engineers (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $57K. Top earners bring in $73K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Locomotive Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Locomotive Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $109K | +34% | 1,510 |
| Massachusetts | $109K | +34% | 640 |
| Mississippi | $97K | +19% | 300 |
| Minnesota | $94K | +15% | 990 |
| Illinois | $93K | +15% | 2,340 |
| Indiana | $93K | +14% | 1,030 |
| Florida | $92K | +13% | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $92K | +13% | 260 |
| Virginia | $91K | +12% | 790 |
| Montana | $90K | +11% | 470 |
| Iowa | $90K | +11% | 1,000 |
| Arizona | $90K | +10% | 490 |
| Colorado | $89K | +10% | 480 |
| South Carolina | $89K | +10% | 380 |
| New Mexico | $88K | +9% | 440 |
| New Jersey | $87K | +6% | 830 |
| Wisconsin | $85K | +4% | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $82K | +1% | 1,430 |
| Tennessee | $81K | +0% | 700 |
| Oregon | $79K | -3% | 580 |
| Texas | $79K | -3% | 3,780 |
| Arkansas | $79K | -3% | 620 |
| Wyoming | $79K | -3% | N/A |
| Missouri | $79K | -3% | 1,110 |
| Kentucky | $78K | -5% | 540 |
| Alabama | $78K | -5% | 590 |
| California | $77K | -5% | 1,570 |
| Kansas | $75K | -8% | 1,020 |
| Washington | $74K | -9% | 1,120 |
| New Hampshire | $71K | -13% | 30 |
| South Dakota | $69K | -15% | 150 |
| West Virginia | $64K | -21% | 340 |
| Louisiana | $64K | -21% | 700 |
| Ohio | $63K | -22% | 200 |
| North Carolina | $61K | -25% | 340 |
Showing 1–10 of 35 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track locomotive engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a locomotive engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 39.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for locomotive engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new locomotive engineers typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,880/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is locomotive engineer a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 30% below the national median — $57K here vs. $81K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for locomotive engineers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s -30%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — below the national median.
How much do locomotive engineers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $57,140 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,000, and experienced locomotive engineers can clear $72,960. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $57K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,996/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 39.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a locomotive engineers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median locomotive engineers salary is worth about $57,934 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do locomotive engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.