The effect of freight rail on jobs ripples throughout our nation's economy: providing, supporting and growing a strong American workforce.
Providing homegrown jobs that will never be off-shored
America's freight railroads employ nearly 190,000 well-paid, highly skilled workers. The overwhelming majority of today's railroad employees are American union workers whose jobs cannot be off-shored. And railroad employees are among the best-paid workers in American industry. Each year, U.S. freight railroads pay some $18 billion in wages and benefits to their employees.
Supporting jobs that help bolster our economy
In addition to our own workforce, freight rail supports more than 150,000 people directly associated with our industry, such as our manufacturer and supplier partners. But our ripple effect doesn't stop there. Every freight rail job supports up to 4.5 other jobs. We support jobs in construction, manufacturing, agricultural, retail, food service, health care and the arts and entertainment industries.
Freight rail expansion also supports job growth. Based on Department of Commerce data, every $1 billion invested in freight rail expansion creates 20,000 jobs. It's clear that freight rail delivers more than goods: it delivers jobs too.
