National Wages

• The mean annual wage for train operators at all levels of experience across the United States was $50,870 as of May 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10 percent of train operators earned in excess of $74,600 per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of less than $33,550. The middle 50 percent of U.S.-based train operators earned between $39,210 and $58,050 per year.
  
  

Regional Wages

• Wages for train operators can vary significantly depending on where they work. Train operators based out of New Mexico earned the highest mean annual wages in the country at $91,820 as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois offered the greatest number of job opportunities for train operators, as 2,700 of the nation's 40,750 locomotive engineers worked in the state. Illinois-based train operators earned mean annual wages of $50,460. Train operators who worked in California earned mean annual wages of $52,060.
  
  

Los Angeles Wages

• Approximately 12.9 percent of the 2,560 train operators who were based in California worked out of Los Angeles as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mean annual income for Los Angeles-based train operators was $63,310. The top 10 percent of L.A.-based train operators earned in excess of $73,580 while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $54,820. The middle 50 percent of Los Angeles-based train operators earned between $59,740 and $69,040 per year.
  
  

Employment Type

• More than 96 percent of train operators worked for the rail transportation industry as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Train operators who worked in this industry earned mean annual wages of $50,930. Approximately 2 percent of train operators worked in the scenic and sightseeing transportation industry where they earned mean wages of $34,190 per year. Train operators who worked for the federal executive branch of government earned the highest mean annual wages for the occupation at $51,900.