MTA Jobs: How Many People Work at the MTA and What the Jobs Pay
From MTA open data on headcount, payroll and hiring · No names shown · Not affiliated with the MTA
Looking for a job at the MTA? Openings and civil service exams are on the MTA's careers site. This page shows the MTA's own data about its jobs.
How many people work at the MTA?
Filled positions (full-time equivalents) in the MTA's financial plan.
About 72,261 positions were filled in September 2026. The budget allowed for 87,313.
- New York City Transit (subways and buses)
64.6%46,660 - Long Island Rail Road
10.3%7,461 - Metro-North Railroad
8.7%6,296 - MTA Headquarters and MTA Police
7.8%5,654 - MTA Bus Company
5.2%3,772 - Construction and Development
1.6%1,188 - Bridges and Tunnels
1.1%821 - Staten Island Railway
0.6%400 - Grand Central Madison operations
0%9
By kind of job
- Operating jobs (train and bus crews, maintenance, cleaners...)
73.3%52,986 - Managers and supervisors
19.1%13,788 - Professional, technical and office jobs
7.6%5,488
People working, by month
Common MTA jobs and what they pay
Job titles with 25 or more people in 2025, most people first. Typical pay is the median total pay, including overtime, of people who held the title for at least 10 months of the year. Titles are written as in the MTA's payroll. MTA salaries and overtime →
| Job title | People | Typical pay | Average overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus operator New York City Transit | 8,170 | $100,011 | $19,434 |
| Cleaner New York City Transit | 4,689 | $57,999 | $3,979 |
| Bus operator Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 4,575 | $98,390 | $20,785 |
| Train operator New York City Transit | 4,046 | $109,561 | $18,503 |
| Conductor New York City Transit | 3,575 | $73,537 | $9,194 |
| Bus operator MTA Bus Company | 3,105 | $86,102 | $18,271 |
| Station agent New York City Transit | 2,637 | $89,679 | $12,080 |
| Car inspector New York City Transit | 2,602 | $108,297 | $14,462 |
| Structure maintainer New York City Transit | 1,964 | $108,481 | $24,307 |
| Maintenance supervisor New York City Transit | 1,800 | $131,472 | $27,985 |
| Track worker New York City Transit | 1,782 | $85,503 | $10,807 |
| Dispatcher New York City Transit | 1,296 | $125,767 | $31,047 |
| Conductor Long Island Rail Road | 1,167 | $141,585 | $31,827 |
| Police officer MTA Headquarters and MTA Police | 1,130 | $88,358 | $14,621 |
| Bus maintainer (mechanic) New York City Transit | 1,077 | $130,767 | $34,323 |
| Conductor Metro-North Railroad | 1,023 | $170,003 | $25,138 |
| Flagging conductor (track work) New York City Transit | 933 | $103,034 | $27,738 |
| Electrical helper New York City Transit | 930 | $67,533 | $11,563 |
| Signal maintainer New York City Transit | 928 | $122,358 | $29,410 |
| Cleaner Long Island Rail Road | 832 | $63,196 | $8,911 |
| Bus maintainer (mechanic) Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 665 | $131,944 | $37,006 |
| Light maintainer New York City Transit | 602 | $114,499 | $31,625 |
| Power distribution maintainer New York City Transit | 565 | $128,924 | $37,778 |
| Locomotive engineer Metro-North Railroad | 561 | $189,833 | $23,663 |
| Train operator (yard) New York City Transit | 532 | $23,152 | $1,648 |
| Train Service Supervisor New York City Transit | 514 | $129,382 | $26,095 |
| Maintainer MTA Bus Company | 501 | $124,942 | $37,036 |
| Locomotive engineer Long Island Rail Road | 500 | $140,177 | $30,389 |
| Track worker (specialist) New York City Transit | 493 | $114,862 | $25,225 |
| Supervisor Station I New York City Transit | 472 | $101,773 | $8,689 |
| Tower operator New York City Transit | 402 | $106,448 | $20,969 |
| Telephone maintainer New York City Transit | 388 | $101,403 | $14,736 |
| Dispatcher Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 364 | $120,127 | $23,249 |
| Special Inspector Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 321 | $61,069 | $1,909 |
| Cleaner Metro-North Railroad | 301 | $73,543 | $6,091 |
| Elevator&Escalator Maintainer New York City Transit | 273 | $108,387 | $12,213 |
| Maintainer I (Revenue Equip) New York City Transit | 260 | $101,541 | $8,149 |
| Assistant conductor Long Island Rail Road | 254 | $77,153 | $8,694 |
| Cleaner Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 250 | $52,840 | $9,815 |
| Car inspector Long Island Rail Road | 242 | $135,168 | $28,740 |
| Dispatcher MTA Bus Company | 239 | $120,536 | $24,642 |
| Electrician Metro-North Railroad | 235 | $13,518 | $1,665 |
| Car Repairman Long Island Rail Road | 216 | $119,469 | $34,120 |
| Power Maintainer B New York City Transit | 213 | $116,135 | $23,910 |
| Assistant conductor Metro-North Railroad | 210 | $57,270 | $4,497 |
| Bridge and tunnel officer Bridges and Tunnels | 207 | $161,590 | $70,912 |
| Signal Inspector Long Island Rail Road | 206 | $136,794 | $43,015 |
| Maintainer (Electronic Equip.) New York City Transit | 204 | $105,683 | $12,939 |
| Assoc.Staff Analyst Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 203 | $95,907 | $1,815 |
| Gang Foreman-ME Long Island Rail Road | 191 | $212,550 | $76,203 |
| Electrician Long Island Rail Road | 188 | $101,037 | $32,211 |
| Machinist Metro-North Railroad | 179 | $75,854 | $6,825 |
| Machinist Long Island Rail Road | 177 | $104,049 | $29,179 |
| MofE RailCar Electrical Worker Metro-North Railroad | 173 | $75,438 | $4,762 |
| Signal maintainer Metro-North Railroad | 172 | $95,781 | $26,161 |
| TA Property Prot Agent New York City Transit | 171 | $76,221 | $7,970 |
| Collecting Agent New York City Transit | 168 | $94,664 | $13,977 |
| Heating & Air Conditioning Mtr New York City Transit | 152 | $100,419 | $11,282 |
| Track Eqpt Maintainer New York City Transit | 147 | $101,736 | $21,754 |
| Railroad Stock Worker II New York City Transit | 145 | $98,348 | $4,827 |
| Track worker Long Island Rail Road | 143 | $128,914 | $50,285 |
| Traffic Checker (Parttime) Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 143 | $25,525 | $454 |
| Assoc.Trans.Mgmt.Analyst New York City Transit | 141 | $88,576 | $642 |
| B&B Mechanic Long Island Rail Road | 141 | $90,296 | $19,245 |
| Third Railman Long Island Rail Road | 136 | $153,033 | $60,695 |
| Vent & Drainage Maintainer New York City Transit | 132 | $116,924 | $26,200 |
| MofERailCarElectricalWorker Metro-North Railroad | 131 | $24,082 | $2,710 |
| Cleaner MTA Bus Company | 130 | $76,604 | $13,649 |
| PTC Yard Electrical Worker Metro-North Railroad | 129 | $69,125 | $4,587 |
| Trackworker - 3rd Rail Terr Metro-North Railroad | 129 | $39,258 | $16,210 |
| Carman F Rate Metro-North Railroad | 124 | $83,506 | $7,788 |
| Mtce Supv (Track) II New York City Transit | 123 | $148,992 | $32,755 |
| Transit Electrical Apprentice New York City Transit | 122 | $61,779 | $3,300 |
| Trans Elec Helper Signals New York City Transit | 120 | $93,884 | $20,828 |
| Staff Analyst 2 Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 117 | $69,195 | $1,326 |
| Bus Maintenance Supvr MTA Bus Company | 117 | $133,173 | $28,950 |
| PTCYardElectricalWorker Metro-North Railroad | 116 | $25,194 | $2,133 |
| Staff Analyst 1 Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit (buses) | 114 | $43,298 | $1,031 |
| Foreman-Mechanical Metro-North Railroad | 113 | $20,435 | $3,993 |
| Car Maintainer B New York City Transit | 111 | $123,193 | $23,772 |
How many people does the MTA hire?
New hires and rehires, and active employees at the end of each year (or the latest month), all MTA agencies, from the MTA workforce data.
The MTA hired 5,864 people in 2025.
| Year | Hired | Working at year end |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Sep) | 4,481 | – |
| 2025 | 5,864 | – |
| 2024 | 6,376 | – |
| 2023 | 6,588 | – |
| 2022 | 6,869 | – |
| 2021 | 3,487 | – |
| 2020 | 1,532 | – |
| 2019 | 3,675 | – |
| 2018 | 5,145 | – |
| 2017 | 6,922 | – |
| 2016 | 6,836 | – |
| 2015 | 5,816 | – |
| 2014 | 5,470 | – |
| 2013 | 5,268 | – |
MTA overtime hours by year
Overtime and regular hours worked, all MTA agencies.
MTA workers put in 18.1 million hours of overtime in 2025, 14.6% on top of their regular hours.
- 2025
14.6% on top of regular hours18.1 million hours - 2024
14.2% on top of regular hours17.5 million hours - 2023
15.3% on top of regular hours18.3 million hours - 2022
15.3% on top of regular hours18 million hours - 2021
14.1% on top of regular hours16.1 million hours - 2020
13% on top of regular hours15.5 million hours - 2019
14.7% on top of regular hours17.9 million hours - 2018
16.1% on top of regular hours19.7 million hours - 2017
14.9% on top of regular hours17.8 million hours - 2016
12.5% on top of regular hours14.6 million hours - 2015
12.5% on top of regular hours14.3 million hours - 2014
12.3% on top of regular hours13.8 million hours - 2013
11.5% on top of regular hours12.6 million hours
Questions
How many people work for the MTA?
About 72,261 positions were filled in September 2026, 46,660 of them at New York City Transit (subways and buses).
What is the most common MTA job?
Bus operator (New York City Transit), with 8,170 people in 2025. Their typical (median) pay was $100,011, including overtime.
How much does an MTA bus operator make?
The typical (median) Bus operator at New York City Transit made $100,011 in 2025, including about $19,434 in overtime on average (8,170 people).
How much does an MTA train operator make?
The typical (median) Train operator at New York City Transit made $109,561 in 2025, including about $18,503 in overtime on average (4,046 people).
How much does an MTA conductor make?
The typical (median) Conductor at New York City Transit made $73,537 in 2025, including about $9,194 in overtime on average (3,575 people).
How much does an MTA station agent make?
The typical (median) Station agent at New York City Transit made $89,679 in 2025, including about $12,080 in overtime on average (2,637 people).
How much does an MTA track worker make?
The typical (median) Track worker at New York City Transit made $85,503 in 2025, including about $10,807 in overtime on average (1,782 people).
How much does an MTA cleaner make?
The typical (median) Cleaner at New York City Transit made $57,999 in 2025, including about $3,979 in overtime on average (4,689 people).
How many people does the MTA hire a year?
The MTA hired 5,864 people in 2025, counting new hires and people rehired.
Where can I find MTA job openings?
On the MTA's careers site at mta.info/careers, which lists openings and civil service exams. This page only shows MTA data about its jobs.
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Data (data.ny.gov): MTA Headcount, MTA Employee Payroll, MTA Workforce: New Hires and Separations, MTA Overtime. Updated Nov 3, 2026. Pay is shown as medians and averages for job titles, never for a named person.
Source code: github.com/MantieReid/mta-data-analysis · Analysis by Mantie Reid II (CC BY 4.0).
This is an independent data analysis project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Data is sourced from the MTA through the New York State Open Data Portal. Visualizations, calculations, and interpretations are independently produced. Data may be revised, incomplete, or delayed. For official transit information, visit mta.info.