Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians
Median $56,550
Occupation · SOC 49-3043
Rail Car Repairers: pay and where the jobs are
What rail car repairers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$67,530 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,680
- Median hourly wage
- $32.46
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.98
- Employment
- 21,350
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 49-3043.
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See where your pay falls among rail car repairers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do rail car repairers make?
The median annual wage for rail car repairers was $67,530 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,800 and the highest-paid 10% more than $95,100. As an hourly rate, the median is $32.46. About 21,350 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($108,680), Maryland ($89,430) and Oregon ($87,470). Massachusetts also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for rail car repairers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,800 | $22.50 | $3,900 | $3,315 |
| 25th percentile | $54,520 | $26.21 | $4,543 | $3,832 |
| Median | $67,530 | $32.46 | $5,628 | $4,695 |
| 75th percentile | $84,570 | $40.66 | $7,048 | $5,694 |
| 90th percentile | $95,100 | $45.72 | $7,925 | $6,311 |
Rail Car Repairers: pay by state
40 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$75,241 take-home in national prices
2
$68,595 take-home in national prices
3
$66,948 take-home in national prices
Where a median rail car repairer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 770 | $108,680 | $81,430 | $119,060 | $79,572 | $75,241 |
| Maryland | 560 | $89,430 | $64,740 | $103,540 | $67,862 | $64,656 |
| Oregon | 230 | $87,470 | $52,900 | $90,510 | $63,789 | $61,715 |
| Colorado | 250 | $86,630 | $59,190 | $112,820 | $66,290 | $64,326 |
| Idaho | 110 | $85,420 | $46,120 | $85,420 | $65,504 | $68,595 |
| New York | 1,730 | $84,580 | $56,680 | $109,040 | $63,965 | $59,270 |
| Illinois | 1,850 | $84,570 | $49,820 | $96,170 | $64,284 | $64,311 |
| Utah | 100 | $83,980 | $48,880 | $103,080 | $64,284 | $65,023 |
| Virginia | 210 | $83,720 | $58,680 | $83,870 | $63,727 | $63,031 |
| Arizona | 170 | $81,230 | $46,360 | $95,010 | $64,338 | $63,906 |
| Delaware | 130 | $78,900 | $51,830 | $95,100 | $60,154 | $60,270 |
| New Jersey | 410 | $78,750 | $65,260 | $84,360 | $60,883 | $55,956 |
| Minnesota | 170 | $77,800 | $42,610 | $88,620 | $59,453 | $60,284 |
| South Dakota | 90 | $71,750 | $46,250 | $79,060 | $59,306 | $66,948 |
| California | 700 | $68,370 | $49,910 | $115,840 | $53,795 | $48,587 |
| Missouri | 220 | $68,290 | $45,020 | $70,980 | $54,600 | $60,121 |
| New Mexico | 120 | $67,550 | $52,020 | $85,470 | $54,342 | $58,932 |
| Michigan | 370 | $64,370 | $38,700 | $83,370 | $51,416 | $53,438 |
| Georgia | 980 | $64,230 | $49,930 | $90,020 | $51,332 | $53,308 |
| Washington | 180 | $63,410 | $49,810 | $80,190 | $52,250 | $48,826 |
| Pennsylvania | 970 | $62,350 | $49,640 | $79,050 | $50,320 | $51,573 |
| Florida | 410 | $62,260 | $40,500 | $66,820 | $52,206 | $50,482 |
| Iowa | 340 | $60,550 | $46,090 | $84,910 | $49,183 | $56,041 |
| Oklahoma | 90 | $60,540 | $45,650 | $81,180 | $48,645 | $55,377 |
| Indiana | 670 | $60,490 | $40,880 | $84,890 | $49,029 | $52,533 |
| Maine | 70 | $60,090 | $42,600 | $94,310 | $47,784 | $49,236 |
| Tennessee | 320 | $60,090 | $47,480 | $80,400 | $50,462 | $54,928 |
| Kentucky | 770 | $59,430 | $39,950 | $80,350 | $47,970 | $53,206 |
| Texas | 2,690 | $59,330 | $46,210 | $79,020 | $49,852 | $51,363 |
| Wyoming | 250 | $59,040 | $47,180 | $86,970 | $49,619 | $53,531 |
| Wisconsin | 220 | $58,870 | $44,490 | $88,010 | $47,468 | $50,447 |
| Alabama | 280 | $58,080 | $37,220 | $77,990 | $46,423 | $52,264 |
| Arkansas | 340 | $53,810 | $36,230 | $85,100 | $43,913 | $50,511 |
| Ohio | 690 | $53,480 | $49,900 | $64,840 | $44,124 | $47,561 |
| West Virginia | 100 | $50,800 | $45,190 | $59,580 | $41,520 | $46,393 |
| Kansas | 300 | $48,160 | $38,830 | $87,190 | $38,989 | $43,288 |
| Nevada | 50 | $48,100 | $39,110 | $87,080 | $40,828 | $40,837 |
| Louisiana | 190 | $47,970 | $47,320 | $77,440 | $39,671 | $44,975 |
| North Carolina | 350 | $47,880 | $45,120 | $76,870 | $39,250 | $41,611 |
| Mississippi | 320 | $47,480 | $35,920 | $77,780 | $39,163 | $45,039 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 49-3043. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.