Rail Car Repairers Salary
Rail Car Repairers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA make a median of $54,120 a year, or about $26.02 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 113.57), so that salary is closer to $47,653 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,601/month, about 73.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $54K get you in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim’s Regional Price Parity (113.57). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Pay for rail car repairers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $68K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,601/month, which is 70.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 14% above the national average (BEA RPP 113.57), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for rail car repairerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for rail car repairers in metros near Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $50K | $45K |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $87K | $83K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Entry-level rail car repairers (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $19K 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 |
| Tennessee | $60K | -11% | 320 |
| Maine | $60K | -11% | 70 |
| 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
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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim numbers change.
Related careers in Repair & Maintenance
Frequently asked questions
Can a rail car repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 70.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,601/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail car repairers typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,870/month. At HUD’s $2,601/month FMR, rent would take 91% 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $54K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim compare to the national average for rail car repairers?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 113.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — below the national median.
How much do rail car repairers make in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The median is $54,120 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,840, and experienced rail car repairers can clear $66,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,666/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,601/month, which eats 70.9% 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim has a Regional Price Parity of 113.57 (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 $47,653 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.