How much does a transit and railroad police make?

The median pay is $43.38 per hour — roughly $90,000 a year, with the real range running from about $27.73/hr (10th percentile) to $60.53/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a transit and railroad police?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a transit and railroad police actually do all day?

Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results. Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees. Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.

Public Safety

Transit and Railroad Police

Protect and police railroad and transit property, employees, or passengers.

What it pays
Transit and Railroad Police earn a median of $43.38/hr — about $90,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $27.73/hr; the top 10% earn $60.53/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results.
Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees.
Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.
Direct security activities at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes involving railroad property.
Patrol railroad yards, cars, stations, or other facilities to protect company property or shipments and to maintain order.
Investigate or direct investigations of freight theft, suspicious damage or loss of passengers' valuables, or other crimes on railroad property.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 1.8% of transit and railroad police are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, organized and detail-focused and take-charge.

Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.

Related careers

Quick questions

How much does a transit and railroad police make?: The median pay is $43.38 per hour — roughly $90,000 a year, with the real range running from about $27.73/hr (10th percentile) to $60.53/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a transit and railroad police?: The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
What does a transit and railroad police actually do all day?: Prepare reports documenting investigation activities and results. Monitor transit areas and conduct security checks to protect railroad properties, patrons, and employees. Apprehend or remove trespassers or thieves from railroad property or coordinate with law enforcement agencies in apprehensions and removals.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.