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Norfolk Southern salaries
Norfolk Southern salary estimate
$56,294yearly
Overview of Norfolk Southern Salaries
In 2025, the average salary at Norfolk Southern is estimated to be $56,294 per year. This figure reflects the company's commitment to offering competitive compensation to attract talent across various roles. Salaries can differ significantly based on factors like location, department, and job level. For example, engineering positions tend to command higher salaries than entry-level roles.
Highest Paying Roles
Some of the highest paying jobs at Norfolk Southern include specialized engineering and management positions, which offer salaries well above the average. Additionally, geographic location plays a crucial role in salary variations, with urban areas typically providing higher compensation.
Salary by Department
Understanding the average salary by department can help prospective employees align their expectations. Departments such as engineering and operations often provide the best salary packages, while administrative roles may offer more modest compensation.
Highest paying jobs at Norfolk Southern
The highest paying jobs at Norfolk Southern are sql bi developer, applications developer, systems administrator, and consultant. Sql bi developer jobs at Norfolk Southern earn an average yearly salary of $93,101, Norfolk Southern applications developer jobs average $90,009, and Norfolk Southern systems administrator jobs average $89,218.
The lowest paying Norfolk Southern roles include clerk and electrical apprentice. Norfolk Southern clerk average salary is $32,132 per year. So while the average Norfolk Southern salary is $56,294 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Norfolk Southern
| Rank | Job title | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SQL BI Developer | $93,101 | $44.76 |
| 2 | Applications Developer | $90,009 | $43.27 |
| 3 | Systems Administrator | $89,218 | $42.89 |
| 4 | Consultant | $85,936 | $41.32 |
| 5 | Team Leader | $83,886 | $40.33 |
| 6 | Business Analyst | $82,222 | $39.53 |
| 7 | Engineering Associate | $74,191 | $35.67 |
| 8 | Mechanics Supervisor | $73,848 | $35.50 |
| 9 | LAN Administrator | $70,236 | $33.77 |
| 10 | Operations Manager | $69,302 | $33.32 |
| 11 | Conductor And Engineer | $67,749 | $32.57 |
| 12 | Train Conductor | $67,668 | $32.53 |
| 13 | Engineering Technician | $64,955 | $31.23 |
| 14 | Locomotive Engineer | $63,932 | $30.74 |
| 15 | Operation Supervisor | $63,262 | $30.41 |
| 16 | Truck Driver | $62,726 | $30.16 |
| 17 | Accounting Analyst | $62,006 | $29.81 |
| 18 | Management Trainee | $60,994 | $29.32 |
| 19 | Electronics Technician | $60,741 | $29.20 |
| 20 | Train Master | $56,806 | $27.31 |
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Average Norfolk Southern salary by state
Norfolk Southern pays the highest salaries in Virginia due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $57,407 | $27.60 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $56,874 | $27.34 |
| 3 | Georgia | $54,631 | $26.26 |
| 4 | Ohio | $54,543 | $26.22 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $53,753 | $25.84 |
| 6 | Alabama | $52,980 | $25.47 |
| 7 | South Carolina | $50,784 | $24.42 |
How much does Norfolk Southern pay by location?
Highest paying Norfolk Southern locations
| Rank | Location | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $65,426 | $31.45 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $60,479 | $29.08 |
| 3 | Newark, DE | $59,966 | $28.83 |
| 4 | Avondale, AZ | $59,371 | $28.54 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $58,861 | $28.30 |
| 6 | Buffalo, NY | $58,769 | $28.25 |
| 7 | Hagerstown, MD | $57,797 | $27.79 |
| 8 | Norfolk, VA | $57,471 | $27.63 |
| 9 | Des Moines, IA | $57,334 | $27.56 |
| 10 | Allentown, PA | $56,885 | $27.35 |
| 11 | Saint Louis, MO | $56,633 | $27.23 |
| 12 | Charlotte, NC | $55,046 | $26.46 |
| 13 | Louisville, KY | $54,658 | $26.28 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $54,626 | $26.26 |
| 15 | Detroit, MI | $54,546 | $26.22 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $54,406 | $26.16 |
| 17 | Fort Wayne, IN | $54,143 | $26.03 |
| 18 | Bluefield, WV | $53,785 | $25.86 |
| 19 | New Orleans, LA | $53,756 | $25.84 |
| 20 | Chattanooga, TN | $53,684 | $25.81 |
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Norfolk Southern salaries by department
Salaries at Norfolk Southern vary depending on the department you work in. Norfolk Southern salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $69,959. Employees in the marketing department at Norfolk Southern receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $68,713 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Norfolk Southern include the administrative and the customer service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $39,083 and $40,593, respectively.
Average Norfolk Southern salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering | $69,959 | $33.63 |
| 2 | Marketing | $68,713 | $33.04 |
| 3 | Finance | $67,674 | $32.54 |
| 4 | IT | $66,678 | $32.06 |
| 5 | Supply Chain | $59,854 | $28.78 |
| 6 | Retail | $55,364 | $26.62 |
| 7 | Facilities | $54,937 | $26.41 |
| 8 | Accounting | $54,204 | $26.06 |
| 9 | Human Resources | $47,942 | $23.05 |
| 10 | Construction | $46,902 | $22.55 |
| 11 | Plant/Manufacturing | $42,988 | $20.67 |
| 12 | Customer Service | $40,594 | $19.52 |
| 13 | Administrative | $39,083 | $18.79 |
How much does Norfolk Southern pay by department?
Best paying Norfolk Southern engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Project Manager | $107,817 | $51.84 |
| 2 | Hadoop Administrator | $104,556 | $50.27 |
| 3 | SQL Database Administrator | $102,443 | $49.25 |
| 4 | Project Leader | $97,950 | $47.09 |
| 5 | SQL BI Developer | $93,101 | $44.76 |
| 6 | Applications Developer | $90,009 | $43.27 |
| 7 | Programmer | $77,633 | $37.32 |
| 8 | Data Analyst | $77,072 | $37.05 |
| 9 | GIS Analyst | $75,502 | $36.30 |
| 10 | Engineering Associate | $74,191 | $35.67 |
| 11 | Conductor And Engineer | $67,749 | $32.57 |
| 12 | Train Conductor | $67,668 | $32.53 |
| 13 | Trainman | $65,520 | $31.50 |
| 14 | Locomotive Engineer | $63,932 | $30.74 |
| 15 | Locomotive Operator | $56,469 | $27.15 |
| 16 | Brakeman | $55,607 | $26.73 |
| 17 | Data Science Internship | $50,135 | $24.10 |
| 18 | Yardmaster | $44,239 | $21.27 |
| 19 | Engineering Internship | $42,749 | $20.55 |
| 20 | Communications Officer | $42,403 | $20.39 |
Best paying Norfolk Southern facilities salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanics Supervisor | $73,848 | $35.50 |
| 2 | Electronics Technician | $60,741 | $29.20 |
| 3 | Maintenance Technician | $57,628 | $27.71 |
| 4 | Signal Maintainer | $55,613 | $26.74 |
| 5 | Diesel Mechanic | $54,346 | $26.13 |
| 6 | Freight Car Repairer | $50,146 | $24.11 |
| 7 | Car Repairman | $48,640 | $23.38 |
| 8 | Carman | $46,467 | $22.34 |
| 9 | Trackman | $45,925 | $22.08 |
| 10 | Trailer Mechanic | $43,427 | $20.88 |
| 11 | Train Dispatcher | $41,185 | $19.80 |
| 12 | Maintenance Internship | $39,443 | $18.96 |
| 13 | Track Machine Operator | $36,406 | $17.50 |
| 14 | Crew Dispatcher | $35,717 | $17.17 |
Best paying Norfolk Southern plant/manufacturing salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Norfolk Southern salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Process Engineer | $80,893 | $38.89 |
| 2 | Assistant Manager Of Operations | $65,905 | $31.69 |
| 3 | Welding Supervisor | $58,067 | $27.92 |
| 4 | Co-Operations Engineer | $57,838 | $27.81 |
| 5 | Diesel Mechanic | $54,346 | $26.13 |
| 6 | Trackman | $45,925 | $22.08 |
| 7 | Co-Operations Internship | $45,544 | $21.90 |
| 8 | Sheet Metal Mechanic | $43,221 | $20.78 |
| 9 | Machinist | $41,524 | $19.96 |
| 10 | Yarder Operator | $41,126 | $19.77 |
| 11 | Car Inspector | $39,227 | $18.86 |
| 12 | Machine Operator | $35,288 | $16.97 |
| 13 | Welder | $32,299 | $15.53 |
Norfolk Southern competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Norfolk Southern competitors, like Loup Logistics, Genesee & Wyoming, and Kansas City Southern, vary. Loup Logistics employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $79,870. The average salary at Genesee & Wyoming is $68,647 per year, and the average salary at Kansas City Southern is $67,910 per year.
Highest paying Norfolk Southern competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loup Logistics | 4.8 | $79,870 |
| 2 | Genesee & Wyoming | 4.5 | $68,647 |
| 3 | Kansas City Southern | 4.8 | $67,910 |
| 4 | BNSF Railway | 4.2 | $66,803 |
| 5 | Union Pacific | 4.1 | $58,205 |
| 6 | Canadian Pacific Railway | 4.8 | $56,143 |
| 7 | CSX | 4.9 | $55,738 |
Recently added Norfolk Southern salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track Laborer | Greensboro, NC | 06/27/2025 | $64,655 |
| Track Laborer | Birmingham, AL | 06/26/2025 | $64,655 |
| Track Laborer | Grand Junction, TN | 06/24/2025 | $64,655 |
| Track Laborer | Lynchburg, VA | 06/20/2025 | $64,655 |
| ST. Louis, MO Train Conductor | Saint Louis, MO | 06/17/2025 | $75,000 |
What employees say about salary at Norfolk Southern
Diversity, benefits, office atmostphere and location
Encouragement to move upward, management structure,
Retirement insurance
Great benefits, pay and management
Nothing, the job is perfect
Bonus for having perfect attendance
I love the hours and the money. I love my time off.
The management can be super picky about some rules. It’s a union job, so I have a bad shift and bad off days.
The retirement is great for me and my family. The health insurance is good. Plus I have vision and dental.
I like my co-workers,we work well together.
The management,the CEO doesnt care whose back he has to break to make his next dollar.
Paid vacation
Frequently asked questions about Norfolk Southern salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Norfolk Southern, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Norfolk Southern. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Norfolk Southern. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Norfolk Southern. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Norfolk Southern and its employees or that of Zippia.
Norfolk Southern may also be known as or be related to Norfolk Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern Corp, Norfolk Southern and Norfolk Southern Corporation.