Rail Car Repairers Salary
Rail Car Repairers in Pittsburgh, PA make a median of $59,810 a year, or about $28.76 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $80K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.67), which stretches that salary to about $63,177 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,299/month, about 32.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $60K get you in Pittsburgh?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Pittsburgh’s Regional Price Parity (94.67). 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 Pittsburgh
Pay for rail car repairers in Pittsburgh runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $68K. Rent runs $1,299/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 32.3% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.67 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for rail car repairers in metros near Pittsburgh, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $61K | $60K |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle | $54K | $54K |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $92K | $82K |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $89K | $86K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pittsburgh, PA
Entry-level rail car repairers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $80K or more, a $30K 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 Pittsburgh numbers change.
Related careers in Repair & Maintenance
Frequently asked questions
Can a rail car repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pittsburgh?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 32.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,299/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 rail car repairers in Pittsburgh?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail car repairers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,001/month. At HUD’s $1,299/month FMR, rent would take 43% 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 Pittsburgh?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $60K here vs. $68K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Pittsburgh compare to the national average for rail car repairers?
Pittsburgh pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — below the national median.
How much do rail car repairers make in Pittsburgh, PA?
The median is $59,810 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,020, and experienced rail car repairers can clear $79,520. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in Pittsburgh?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,022/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,299/month, which eats 32.3% 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 Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has a Regional Price Parity of 94.67 (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 $63,177 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.