SOC 47-4061 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators — Virginia
Virginia
In Virginia the median wage for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is $84,750 a year, which is 21.0% higher than the national figure of $70,070.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.6%
- Openings per year
- 1,100
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Virginia.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Virginia the median wage for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators is $84,750 a year, which is 21.0% higher than the national figure of $70,070. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $62,540 and $84,750. The lowest tenth earn under $59,820, while the highest tenth earn more than $92,270.
The area has 360 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.70 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Virginia ranks number 4th out of 39 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 747 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 182nd.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $59,820 | −14.6% |
| 25th | $62,540 | −10.7% |
| Median (50th) | $84,750 | +21.0% |
| 75th | $84,750 | +21.0% |
| 90th | $92,270 | +31.7% |
| Mean | $79,300 | +13.2% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Virginia sit close to the national average, so $84,750 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$84,750as reported by BLSLocal price level
101.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$83,828US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $84,750 a year, 21.0% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $59,820 to $92,270 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 360 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 4th of 39 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators in Virginia?
The median annual wage is $84,750, or $40.75 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $70,070, so pay in Virginia is 21.0% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Virginia earns more than $92,270 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $59,820 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 360 jobs in this occupation in Virginia. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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