Rail Car Repairers Salary
Rail Car Repairers in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI make a median of $46,480 a year, or about $22.35 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $79K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.3), that's roughly $46,341 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,411/month, about 44.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $46K get you in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Detroit-Warren-Dearborn’s Regional Price Parity (100.3). 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn
Pay for rail car repairers in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn runs about 31% below the U.S. median of $68K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,411/month, which is 45.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.3) 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 rail car repairerss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Entry-level rail car repairers (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $79K or more, a $39K 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a rail car repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 45.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,411/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail car repairers typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,387/month. At HUD’s $1,411/month FMR, rent would take 59% 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
Local pay runs 31% below the national median — $46K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does Detroit-Warren-Dearborn compare to the national average for rail car repairers?
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -31%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.3), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — below the national median.
How much do rail car repairers make in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?
The median is $46,480 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,790, and experienced rail car repairers can clear $79,130. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,118/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,411/month, which eats 45.3% 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn?
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn has a Regional Price Parity of 100.3 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median rail car repairers salary is worth about $46,341 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.