Rail Car Repairers Salary
Rail Car Repairers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA make a median of $49,910 a year, or about $23.99 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers.
So what does $50K get you in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad’s Regional Price Parity (111.9). 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Pay for rail car repairers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad runs about 26% below the U.S. median of $68K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,511/month, which is 73.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 12% above the national average (BEA RPP 111.9), 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $54K | , |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $87K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Entry-level rail car repairers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $25K 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a rail car repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 73.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,511/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail car repairers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,995/month. At HUD’s $2,511/month FMR, rent would take 84% 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Local pay runs 26% below the national median — $50K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad compare to the national average for rail car repairers?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 111.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $45K — below the national median.
How much do rail car repairers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The median is $49,910 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,910, and experienced rail car repairers can clear $74,900. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,405/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,511/month, which eats 73.7% 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median rail car repairers salary is worth about $44,602 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.