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Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators vs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators and Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$51,650
$67,370
Employment · BLS OEWS
45,680
16,480
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
1st pct
0th pct

At a glance

Dimension Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Median pay $51,650 $67,370
Employment 45,680 16,480
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+3.2%) About average (+1.6%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 4,000 1,100
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 1st pct Low · 0th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 11th pct · 13% of tasks 2nd pct · 9% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Control Precision, Building and Construction, Operations Monitoring, Problem Sensitivity, Operation and Control, Multilimb Coordination, Mechanical, Monitoring, Rate Control, Reaction Time, Static Strength, Trunk Strength, Far Vision, Critical Thinking, Coordination, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Visualization, Selective Attention, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Response Orientation, Extent Flexibility, Depth Perception, Active Listening, Equipment Maintenance, Judgment and Decision Making, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Quality Control Analysis.

Specific to Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

  • Oral Expression
  • Speech Recognition
  • Speech Clarity
  • Speaking
  • Spatial Orientation
  • Time Sharing
  • Mathematics

Specific to Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

  • Transportation
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Perceptual Speed
  • Dynamic Strength
  • Auditory Attention
  • Administration and Management

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Time accounting software .

Specific to Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

Specific to Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators or Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

    More comparisons

    Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

    Sources for this page

    Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

    Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

    Cite this page
    Plain

    Singulariki. "Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators vs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators-vs-rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators vs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators-vs-rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators-vs-rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators,
  title  = {Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators vs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators-vs-rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators}
}

    Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.