The median pay for Transit and Railroad Police is $90,230 a year ($43.38/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.2% through 2035, with about 300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-3052
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Transit and Railroad Police in four numbers
- Median pay
- $90,230a year, or $43.38/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $58KTop 10% $126K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.2%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 3004,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20254.4K
- Projected 20354.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 4.4K Projected 2035 4.5K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school20.6%
- Certificate13.8%
- Some college25.9%
- Associate's5.4%
- Bachelor's28.4%
- Master's4.6%
Highest education held by transit and railroad police Segment Value High school 20.6% Certificate 13.8% Some college 25.9% Associate's 5.4% Bachelor's 28.4% Master's 4.6%
Also advertised as: Law Enforcement Officer, Patrol Man, Patrol Officer, Patrolman, Police Captain, Police Specialist.
Pay
How much do Transit and Railroad Police make?
Every transit and railroad police in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$90,230
Middle half earn $68,990 to $119,290
- 10th
- $57,690
- 25th
- $68,990
- 75th
- $119,290
- 90th
- $125,910
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $57,690 |
| 25th | $68,990 |
| Median | $90,230 |
| 75th | $119,290 |
| 90th | $125,910 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $90,230
- Median hourly wage
- $43.38/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $91,810
- People employed
- 4,390
Versus all US occupations
At $90,230, Transit and Railroad Police earn 77% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $39,250 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 22% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $125,910 or more while the bottom 10% earn $57,690, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 66% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $109,650, and still leads at $99,034 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Transit and Railroad Police the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $109,650 | $99,034 | 100 |
| 2New Jersey | $106,290 | $97,689 | 340 |
| 3Maryland | $99,420 | $94,723 | N/A |
| 4New York | $90,460 | $83,821 | N/A |
| 5Utah | $87,770 | $88,779 | 80 |
| 6Texas | $78,480 | $80,860 | 80 |
| 7Florida | $69,810 | $67,505 | 40 |
| 8Missouri | $67,840 | $74,700 | 90 |
| 9Georgia | $57,690 | $59,911 | 240 |
Job outlook
Is Transit and Railroad Police a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Transit and Railroad Police | +3.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Transit and Railroad Police to change 3.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 300 openings are projected each year, 6.8% of the 4,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of police and detectives is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of police and detectives varies by occupation (see table).
A desire for public safety may result in a need for more officers. However, demand for employment is expected to vary by location, driven largely by local and state budgets. Even when crime rates fall, demand for police services to maintain public safety is expected to continue.
Getting in
How to become a Transit and Railroad Police
The education typically required to enter the occupation ranges from a high school diploma to a college degree. Most police and detectives must graduate from their agency’s training academy before completing a period of on-the-job training. Other requirements vary, but candidates usually must be at least 21 years old and able to meet rigorous physical and personal qualifications. A felony conviction or drug use may disqualify a candidate.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as transit and railroad police.
- Bachelor's Degree28.4%
- Some College Courses25.9%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)20.6%
- Post-Secondary Certificate13.8%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 28.4% |
| Some College Courses | 25.9% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 20.6% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 13.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Transit and Railroad Police do?
Protect and police railroad and transit property, employees, or passengers.
Police officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of crimes.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results.
- Enforce traffic laws regarding the transit system and reprimand individuals who violate them.
- Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees.
- Examine credentials of unauthorized persons attempting to enter secured areas.
- Patrol railroad yards, cars, stations, or other facilities to protect company property or shipments and to maintain order.
- Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
- Investigate or direct investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.
- Direct security activities at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes involving railroad property.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most police and detectives work full time. Paid overtime is common, and shift work is necessary to protect the public at all times.
FBI special agents must work at least 50 hours a week and are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Monitoring3.4
- Writing3.3
- Active Learning3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.4
- Coordination3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Negotiation3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
- Persuasion3.0
- Instructing3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 |
| Coordination | 3.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Internet browser software
- Map creation software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Transit and Railroad Police?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Transit and Railroad Police |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.2
- Conventional4.9
- Enterprising3.2
- Social2.5
- Investigative2.3
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Transit and Railroad Police
O*NET related occupations
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives
$106,040median a year
Most earn $63K to $165K
+3.3%High school - Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with transit and railroad police highlighted
- Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790
- Intelligence Analyst$93,790
- Transit and Railroad Police$90,230
- Police Officer$76,210
- Custom and Border Protection Officer$76,210
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional Officer and Jailer$58,940
- Private Detective and Investigator$51,220
- Security Guard$38,020
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $93,790 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $93,790 |
| Transit and Railroad Police | $90,230 |
| Police Officer | $76,210 |
| Custom and Border Protection Officer | $76,210 |
| Firefighter | $59,280 |
| Correctional Officer and Jailer | $58,940 |
| Private Detective and Investigator | $51,220 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Transit and Railroad Police appears on
Questions
Transit and Railroad Police: frequently asked questions
How much do Transit and Railroad Police make?
Transit and Railroad Police earn a median of $90,230 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 77% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $43.38/hr. The middle half earn between $68,990 and $119,290. The top 10% earn $125,910 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Transit and Railroad Police?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Transit and Railroad Police. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 28.4% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Transit and Railroad Police a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.2% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Transit and Railroad Police do?
Police officers protect lives and property. A core O*NET task: prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Transit and Railroad Police the most?
The highest state medians for Transit and Railroad Police are California ($109,650), New Jersey ($106,290), Maryland ($99,420) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Transit and Railroad Police?
O*NET scores Transit and Railroad Police highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.