Light rail operator vs operator

The differences between light rail operators and operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a light rail operator has an average salary of $42,958, which is higher than the $37,928 average annual salary of an operator.

The top three skills for a light rail operator include switches, DOT and emergency situations. The most important skills for an operator are safety procedures, CDL, and emergency calls.

Light rail operator vs operator overview

	Light Rail Operator	Operator
Yearly salary	$42,958	$37,928
Hourly rate	$20.65	$18.23
Growth rate	4%	7%
Number of jobs	33,553	159,077
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	-	4

Light rail operator vs operator salary

Light rail operators and operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Light Rail Operator	Operator
Average salary	$42,958	$37,928
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $76,000	Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between light rail operator and operator education

There are a few differences between a light rail operator and an operator in terms of educational background:

	Light Rail Operator	Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Light rail operator vs operator demographics

Here are the differences between light rail operators' and operators' demographics:

	Light Rail Operator	Operator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7%	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 16.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	21%	4%

Differences between light rail operator and operator duties and responsibilities

Light rail operator example responsibilities.

Operate switches through controls or manually; performs operations necessary to restore movement by trouble-shooting problem conditions.
Comply with all rules & regulations including knowledge of signals, speed & switches.
Monitor rail station CCTV equipment.

Operator example responsibilities.

Assist in developing the company s short and long term training plans and managing yearly ammunition allocation.
Assist and manage the extrusion process of polyester raw material in pellet or chip form to produce finish rolls of plastic.
Manage day-to-day transportation and logistics services for multinational account base.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Job require basic math skills: fractions and decimals.
Ensure safety of all equipment during production in compliance with strict OSHA and safety regulations.

Light rail operator vs operator skills

Common light rail operator skills

Switches, 27%
DOT, 19%
Emergency Situations, 19%
Customer Inquiries, 8%
FCC, 7%
Mechanical Problems, 6%

Common operator skills

Safety Procedures, 15%
CDL, 6%
Emergency Calls, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%
Quality Checks, 4%
Dozer, 4%

Updated January 8, 2025

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