Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 42% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,583/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.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,734/month.

Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $54K here vs. $69K nationally.

Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $69K — that’s -22%.

The median is $53,700 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,570, and experienced railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers can clear $58,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,766/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,583/month, which eats 42% 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.

Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 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 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers salary is worth about $53,700 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.