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Locomotive Engineers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Locomotive Engineers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 8,000 hours, for LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER | 0287 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What locomotive engineers earn, by state
New York has the highest state median for locomotive engineers ($109,220) and North Carolina the lowest ($61,190), across the 35 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $109,220 | $52.51 | 1,510 |
| Massachusetts | $108,790 | $52.31 | 640 |
| Mississippi | $96,710 | $46.50 | 300 |
| Minnesota | $93,700 | $45.05 | 990 |
| Illinois | $93,320 | $44.87 | 2,340 |
| Indiana | $92,790 | $44.61 | 1,030 |
| Florida | $92,310 | $44.38 | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $91,970 | $44.21 | 260 |
| Virginia | $90,780 | $43.64 | 790 |
| Montana | $90,220 | $43.38 | 470 |
| Iowa | $89,970 | $43.25 | 1,000 |
| Arizona | $89,840 | $43.19 | 490 |
| Colorado | $89,360 | $42.96 | 480 |
| South Carolina | $89,290 | $42.93 | 380 |
| New Mexico | $88,330 | $42.47 | 440 |
| New Jersey | $86,550 | $41.61 | 830 |
| Wisconsin | $84,550 | $40.65 | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,460 | $39.64 | 1,430 |
| Tennessee | $81,410 | $39.14 | 700 |
| Oregon | $79,130 | $38.05 | 580 |
| Texas | $79,000 | $37.98 | 3,780 |
| Arkansas | $78,930 | $37.95 | 620 |
| Wyoming | $78,910 | $37.94 | Not published |
| Missouri | $78,820 | $37.90 | 1,110 |
| Kentucky | $77,620 | $37.32 | 540 |
| Alabama | $77,600 | $37.31 | 590 |
| California | $77,070 | $37.06 | 1,570 |
| Kansas | $75,190 | $36.15 | 1,020 |
| Washington | $73,750 | $35.46 | 1,120 |
| New Hampshire | $70,670 | $33.98 | 30 |
| South Dakota | $69,180 | $33.26 | 150 |
| West Virginia | $64,400 | $30.96 | 340 |
| Louisiana | $64,200 | $30.87 | 700 |
| Ohio | $63,280 | $30.42 | 200 |
| North Carolina | $61,190 | $29.42 | 340 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).