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Railroad police: pay, job outlook and how to become one
- $57,690lowest 10% earn less
- $68,99025th percentile
- $90,230median
- $119,29075th percentile
- $125,910top 10% earn more
Railroad police, which BLS calls Transit and Railroad Police, had a median pay of $90,230 a year in May 2025[1]. Jobs are projected to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035[2].
- Job growth, 2025–35
- +3.2%[2]
- Openings per year
- 300[5]
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent[6]
How much do railroad police make?
The median pay for Transit and Railroad Police was $90,230 a year, or $43.38 an hour, in May 2025[1]. The median splits workers in two: half earned more, half less[1]. The average was $91,810 a year, or $44.14 an hour[7]. For all occupations, the median was $50,980[4].
Pay varies a lot within the job. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $57,690 a year, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $125,910[3]. A percentile is a boundary, and BLS does not publish a starting salary[8].
| Measure | Annual wage | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile[3] | $57,690 | |
| 25th percentile[3] | $68,990 | |
| Median[1] | $90,230 | |
| 75th percentile[3] | $119,290 | |
| 90th percentile[3] | $125,910 |
These figures cover wage and salary workers, full time and part time. They leave out the self-employed, and they do not include bonuses outside regular production pay or the cost of benefits[9].
Pay by state and city
BLS published state wages for only 9 states[10]. California had the highest median at $109,650, followed by New Jersey at $106,290 and Maryland at $99,420[10]. Georgia was lowest among the listed states at $57,690[10].
New Jersey had the most jobs with 340, then Georgia with 240 and California with 100[11]. Among metro areas, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington had the most jobs at 80, with a median of $103,980[12].
Show median pay in 9 states
| State | Median per year | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California[10] | $109,650 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $106,290 | 340 |
| Maryland | $99,420 | n/a |
| New York | $90,460 | n/a |
| Utah | $87,770 | 80 |
| Texas | $78,480 | 80 |
| Florida | $69,810 | 40 |
| Missouri | $67,840 | 90 |
| Georgia | $57,690 | 240 |
How to become a railroad police officer
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education. It lists no work experience in a related occupation and moderate-term on-the-job training[6].
The BLS training details come from a profile for police and detectives, which covers a wider group than this job[13]. Based on that profile:
- First: meet the education bar. Applicants need at least a high school diploma or equivalent, and some agencies want college coursework or a degree[14].
- Next: pass the screening. Candidates usually must be at least 21 and meet physical and personal standards[15]. A felony conviction or drug use can rule a candidate out[15].
- Then: attend a training academy and complete a period of on-the-job training[15]. Academy classes cover laws, civil rights and ethics, plus patrol, traffic control, firearms, self-defense and first aid[16].
In an O*NET survey of 37 workers, 28% said a bachelor's degree is required, 26% said some college courses and 21% said a high school diploma or equivalent[17]. The survey is small, so treat these as a rough picture.
What railroad police do
O*NET describes the job as protecting railroad and transit property, employees and passengers[18]. Common tasks include:
- Writing reports on investigations and their results[19].
- Watching transit areas and doing security checks[19].
- Removing trespassers or thieves from railroad property, or working with other agencies to do so[19].
- Patrolling yards, cars and stations[19].
- Investigating freight theft and other crimes[19].
- Leading security at derailments, fires, floods or strikes[19].
- Enforcing traffic laws on the transit system[19].
- Teaching the public or other officers about rail safety[19].
Where they work
The workplace details here come from the wider police and detectives profile[13]. Police work can be physically demanding, stressful and dangerous, and officers need to stay alert for the whole shift[20]. Transit and railroad police are named as having some of the highest injury and illness rates of any occupation[21].
Most police and detectives work full time. Overtime pay is common, and shift work is needed because protection is required at all hours[22]. In that wider group, 96% of jobs were in government, not counting state and local education and hospitals[23].
Job outlook
BLS projects employment of Transit and Railroad Police to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, from about 4,400 to 4,500 jobs[2]. For all occupations, the projection is 3.5%[24]. These counts include self-employed workers[2]. The OEWS count of wage and salary jobs in May 2025 was about 4,390[25].
About 300 openings a year are projected on average[5]. Openings include jobs left by people who retire or switch occupations, not only new jobs[5]. Each year, 2.1% of workers leave the labor force and 4.9% move to a different occupation[26].
Is it a good fit?
The pay is well above the all-occupations median, and the entry education is a high school diploma[1][4][6]. The job is small, with about 4,390 jobs, so openings are limited to about 300 a year[25][5]. Growth is close to the all-occupations rate[2][24]. The work can be stressful, and injury rates are high[20][21]. Academy training and screening apply, based on the wider police profile[13][15].
Frequently asked questions
- How much do railroad police make an hour?
- The median was $43.38 an hour in May 2025, and the average was $44.14[1][7].
- What education do you need to be a railroad police officer?
- BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education[6].
- Is railroad police a growing job?
- BLS projects 3.2% growth from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all occupations[2][24].
- Which state pays railroad police the most?
- California had the highest median among the 9 states with published data, at $109,650[10].
Facts and sources
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Transit and Railroad Police in the US was $90,230 per year and $43.38 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS Employment Projections: employment of Transit and Railroad Police is projected to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, from about 4,400 to 4,500 jobs (a change of +100). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Transit and Railroad Police: 10th percentile $57,690, 25th percentile $68,990, 75th percentile $119,290, 90th percentile $125,910. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS Employment Projections: about 300 openings for Transit and Railroad Police are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Transit and Railroad Police: education needed for entry: High school diploma or equivalent; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Transit and Railroad Police was $91,810 per year and $44.14 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage for Transit and Railroad Police in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Transit and Railroad Police jobs: New Jersey 340; Georgia 240; California 100; Missouri 90; Texas 80. BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Transit and Railroad Police jobs: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 80 (median $103,980). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile "Police and Detectives" covers Transit and Railroad Police together with other related occupations, so its text describes the wider group. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One: Education. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One: Training. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- O*NET 33-3052.00 survey of workers (37 respondents), education level they say is required: Bachelor's Degree 28%, Some College Courses 26%, High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) 21%, Post-Secondary Certificate 14%, Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree 5% (levels under 5% not listed). O*NET OnLine
- O*NET description of Transit and Railroad Police. O*NET OnLine
- O*NET task list for Transit and Railroad Police. O*NET OnLine
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment: Injuries and Illnesses. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Work Environment: Work Schedules. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, largest employers of police and detectives in 2025: Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals 96%. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
- BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 4,390 people were employed as Transit and Railroad Police in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Transit and Railroad Police: 2.1% of workers leave the labor force each year and 4.9% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
- Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.