Passenger conductor vs railroad dispatcher

The differences between passenger conductors and railroad dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a passenger conductor has an average salary of $54,568, which is higher than the $39,504 average annual salary of a railroad dispatcher.

The top three skills for a passenger conductor include safety rules, train movement and FRA. The most important skills for a railroad dispatcher are locomotives, train crews, and .

Passenger conductor vs railroad dispatcher overview

	Passenger Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$54,568	$39,504
Hourly rate	$26.23	$18.99
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	742	4,224
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	-	2

Passenger conductor vs railroad dispatcher salary

Passenger conductors and railroad dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Passenger Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average salary	$54,568	$39,504
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $75,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between passenger conductor and railroad dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a passenger conductor and a railroad dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Passenger Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Passenger conductor vs railroad dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between passenger conductors' and railroad dispatchers' demographics:

	Passenger Conductor	Railroad Dispatcher
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0%	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 1.9% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between passenger conductor and railroad dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Passenger conductor example responsibilities.

Manage all commodities, crew, safety, and efficient delivery of each assign train and while following strict FRA guidelines.
Perform hostler operations of operating locomotives between various shop locations, service tracks and switching areas.
Qualify on all NORAC rules and physical characteristics of the regional territory.

Railroad dispatcher example responsibilities.

Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation and warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
Follow all GCOR and SOI rules with no injuries.

Passenger conductor vs railroad dispatcher skills

Common passenger conductor skills

Safety Rules, 89%
Train Movement, 5%
FRA, 4%
Hand Signals, 3%

Common railroad dispatcher skills

Locomotives, 55%
Train Crews, 45%

Passenger Conductor vs. similar jobs

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Passenger Conductor
Passenger Conductor vs Railroad Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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