Rail Car Repairers Salary
Rail Car Repairers in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC make a median of $76,870 a year, or about $36.96 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $90K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.35), that's roughly $78,963 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,686/month, about 32.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $77K get you in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia’s Regional Price Parity (97.35). 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 rail car repairers
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What this looks like in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia sits well above the national pay line for rail car repairers, local pay runs about 14% higher than the U.S. median of $68K. Rent runs $1,686/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.3% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.35) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Entry-level rail car repairers (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $77K. Top earners bring in $90K or more, a $51K spread from bottom to top.
Rail Car Repairers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Rail Car Repairers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $109K | +61% | 770 |
| Maryland | $89K | +32% | 560 |
| Oregon | $87K | +30% | 230 |
| Colorado | $87K | +28% | 250 |
| Idaho | $85K | +26% | 110 |
| New York | $85K | +25% | 1,730 |
| Illinois | $85K | +25% | 1,850 |
| Utah | $84K | +24% | 100 |
| Virginia | $84K | +24% | 210 |
| Arizona | $81K | +20% | 170 |
| Delaware | $79K | +17% | 130 |
| New Jersey | $79K | +17% | 410 |
| Minnesota | $78K | +15% | 170 |
| South Dakota | $72K | +6% | 90 |
| California | $68K | +1% | 700 |
| Missouri | $68K | +1% | 220 |
| New Mexico | $68K | +0% | 120 |
| Michigan | $64K | -5% | 370 |
| Georgia | $64K | -5% | 980 |
| Washington | $63K | -6% | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | $62K | -8% | 970 |
| Florida | $62K | -8% | 410 |
| Iowa | $61K | -10% | 340 |
| Oklahoma | $61K | -10% | 90 |
| Indiana | $60K | -10% | 670 |
| Maine | $60K | -11% | 70 |
| Tennessee | $60K | -11% | 320 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -12% | 770 |
| Texas | $59K | -12% | 2,690 |
| Wyoming | $59K | -13% | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $59K | -13% | 220 |
| Alabama | $58K | -14% | 280 |
| Arkansas | $54K | -20% | 340 |
| Ohio | $53K | -21% | 690 |
| West Virginia | $51K | -25% | 100 |
| Kansas | $48K | -29% | 300 |
| Nevada | $48K | -29% | 50 |
| Louisiana | $48K | -29% | 190 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -29% | 350 |
| Mississippi | $47K | -30% | 320 |
Showing 1–10 of 40 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track rail car repairers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a rail car repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 34.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,686/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for rail car repairers in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail car repairers typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,341/month. At HUD’s $1,686/month FMR, rent would take 72% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is rail car repairer a high-paying job in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Local pay is 14% above the national median — $77K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia compare to the national average for rail car repairers?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s +14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.35), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do rail car repairers make in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC?
The median is $76,870 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,020, and experienced rail car repairers can clear $89,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $77K enough to live in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,917/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,686/month, which eats 34.3% 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 rail car repairers salary go in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia has a Regional Price Parity of 97.35 (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 rail car repairers salary is worth about $78,963 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do rail car repairers 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.