Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers pay in the U.S.
$68,450avg. a year
$32.91 an hour · 3,920 employed
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers in the U.S. earn an average of $68,450 a year and a median of $60,600. Pay is highest in West Virginia ($79,630) and lowest in Arkansas ($45,500).
$60,600Median pay
$32.91Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
3,920Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
140 jobs
West Virginia
$79,630
$38.28 an hour
2120 jobs
Florida
$77,700
$37.36 an hour
3130 jobs
New Jersey
$74,840
$35.98 an hour
4110 jobs
Kentucky
$71,390
$34.32 an hour
550 jobs
Texas
$67,450
$32.43 an hour
6190 jobs
California
$66,450
$31.95 an hour
7
Colorado
$62,260
$29.93 an hour
860 jobs
Tennessee
$61,460
$29.55 an hour
970 jobs
Oklahoma
$60,580
$29.12 an hour
10190 jobs
Indiana
$59,260
$28.49 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $56k$56k–$61k$61k–$67k$67k+
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $54,390 | $48,900 | 80 |
| Arkansas | $45,500 | $38,980 | 70 |
| California | $66,450 | $67,160 | 190 |
| Colorado | $62,260 | $60,770 | – |
| Florida | $77,700 | $80,360 | 120 |
| Indiana | $59,260 | $54,420 | 190 |
| Kansas | $53,250 | $56,090 | – |
| Kentucky | $71,390 | $62,070 | 110 |
| Nevada | $48,430 | $48,970 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $74,840 | $71,030 | 130 |
| Ohio | $58,760 | $59,460 | – |
| Oklahoma | $60,580 | $63,400 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,570 | $65,380 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $61,460 | $54,060 | 60 |
| Texas | $67,450 | $53,130 | 50 |
| Utah | $55,770 | $58,380 | – |
| West Virginia | $79,630 | $91,380 | 40 |
Questions and answers
How much do rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers make?
The average is $68,450 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $60,600 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $32.91, and the median is $29.14 an hour.
Which state pays rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers the most?
West Virginia, with an average of $79,630 a year.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $44,540 a year, and the top 10% earn over $100,270.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 53-4013. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.