Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 50.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,044/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.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,289/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 0% difference.

Colorado pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s +0%.

The median is $60,770 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,810, and experienced rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers can clear $81,670. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,016/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,044/month, which eats 50.9% 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.

Colorado 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 yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers salary is worth about $60,770 in national-average purchasing power.

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.