Transit Workforce Data Dashboard

Dropdown Filters

The Agency Explorer can be filtered using dropdown menus for state, agency name, mode, labor classification/job function, and full-time/part-time. These filters will adjust all of the data in the four charts, table, and summary statistics, with some exceptions:

• Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-time/part-time data are not reported for hourly wage and salary expenses. If a selection is made in that filter, the summary statistics will not be available and charts/tables showing wages and salaries will not update and will continue showing the total wages/salaries.

There are also dropdowns that use ranges of two statistics, employee count and urbanized area (UZA) population, to filter the data. These dropdowns use ranges to help select a smaller subset of agencies; the ranges are not consistent in size, but rather aim to split the number of agencies between them as evenly as possible. They use data from the most recent year an agency has reported to NTD.

Charts

The Agency Explorer features four charts with workforce statistics from 2018 to 2022:

• Employee Count: The number of individuals who are compensated by the transit agency for directly operated (DO) transit services.
  • Please note that individual employees can be split between transit and non-transit departments, directly operated and paid transportation services, as well as between modes and job functions. The counts may include decimals, including the total count for an agency.
• Labor Hours: The number of employee work hours, not counting paid leave, on directly operated services at the agency.
• Average Hourly Wage: A calculated statistic of average hourly wages of directly operated employees at the agency, determined by dividing operating salary expenses by operating labor hours. Note: this chart does not distinguish full-time and part-time employees.
• Salary Expenses: The total salary expenses by agency of employees who work on directly operated services at the agency, including cost of labor and excluding paid absences and fringe benefits. Note: this chart does not distinguish full-time and part-time employees.

Summary Statistics

The summary statistics (within the light green boxes on the right side of the page) show average and total data from 2022, with the exception of the number of agencies, which shows the number of agencies that have been selected by the filters.

More details about each statistic are described below:

• Total Employees: This statistic shows the total number of employees in 2023 from each agency. Each filter affects this statistic. Again, please note that this is not the total number of transit employees in the country, but only the employees from directly operated services of full reporters to NTD.
• Average Wage: This statistic calculates the average wage across each agency. Each filter except for the full-time/part-time dropdown affects this statistic.
• Average Labor Hours: This statistic calculates the average labor hours across each agency, with each agency weighted equally. Each filter affects this statistic.
• Average Salary Expenses: This statistic calculates the average salary expenses across each agency, with each agency weighted equally. Each filter except for the full-time/part-time dropdown affects this statistic.
• Average Vehicles Operated in Annual Maximum Service (VOMS): This statistic calculates the average vehicles operated in annual maximum service across each agency, with each agency weighted equally.
• Average Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT): This statistic calculates the average unlinked passenger trips across each agency, with each agency weighted equally.
• Population: This statistic calculates the average urbanized area (UZA) population weighted by agency. Each filter except for the labor classification/job function and full-time/part-time dropdowns affects this statistic. Population does not change by mode, but agencies without selected modes will not be included.

Cost-of-Living Adjusted Wages

In response to suggestions from transit partners, TWC has now added a new cost-of-living (COL) adjustment feature to the Agency Explorer. This feature enables users to compare wages between transit agencies, weighted to account for local economic context. When a user selects an agency or set of agencies using the filters at the top of the page, these locations’ raw wages (green bars) will be adjusted (blue bars) using the COL factor provided in annual data procured from C2ER for the county where the agency headquarters is located. The formula used is:

COL adjusted wage = (Raw wage * 100) / County COL factor

100 is the baseline COL factor in an area that is essentially average nationally in cost-of-living; more expensive counties will have a higher index value and less expensive counties will have a lower one. For example, for an agency that has an average raw wage of $35/hour and a COL factor of 110, the COL adjusted average wage for that county would be $31.81, while an agency with an average raw wage of $35/hour and a COL factor of 95 has a COL adjusted average wage of $36.84. The comparison highlights that a $35/hour wage holds more purchasing power in a less expensive area than in a more expensive area. The same filters are operable in this feature as are operable in other charts.

The chart shows the 15 agencies with the greatest number of employees in 2023 in accordance with filter selections. Agencies are listed left to right from highest COL-adjusted wage to lowest.

Table

The table beneath the charts lists 2023 operating data for all full reporting transit agencies. Use the column headers to sort the table from largest to smallest or vice versa or select a specific agency to display it on the time series charts.

Please note that not all agencies reported data in 2023; there may be agencies that appear in the charts for previous years but not in the table.

• NTD collects workforce data from only directly operated services of full reports (see key terms). This means the Explorer does not include every transit worker in the country; and larger agencies are overrepresented; also, since many agencies contract out rather than directly operate demand response services, the counts, hours, and salary expenses displayed for that mode are incomplete.
• The charts show a maximum of 10 agencies at a time.
  • The 10 agencies shown are the agencies with the highest employee counts that fit the filter criteria. The charts will all show the same 10 agencies using the same color for each appearance of an agency.
  • The summary statistics on the side show average and total data for, and the table at the bottom shows 2023 operating data for, all agencies selected by the filters, not just the top 10.
• Some agencies did not report to NTD for each year shown. There may be gaps in the data for those cases, and the summary statistics on the side only use data agencies that reported to NTD in 2023.

Mode: A system for carrying transit passengers described by specific right-of-way (ROW), technology and operational features.

Labor Classification: The occupational categories FTA uses to distinguish between different types of transit work. FTA defines two categories: operating labor and capital labor. The dashboard includes only operating labor.

Operating Labor: One of two labor classifications, FTA defines operating labor as the personnel necessary to carry out the day-to-day requirements for providing transit service. Transit agencies report operating labor in four functions (referred to as “job functions” on the Dashboard): vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, facility maintenance, and general administration.

Vehicle Operations: All activities associated with vehicle operations, including: transportation administration and support; revenue vehicle movement control; scheduling of transportation operations; revenue vehicle operation; ticketing and fare collection; and system security.

Vehicle Maintenance: All activities associated with revenue and non-revenue (service) vehicle maintenance, including: administration; inspection and maintenance; and servicing (cleaning, fueling, etc.) vehicles. In addition, vehicle maintenance includes repairs due to vandalism and accident repairs of revenue vehicles.

Facility Maintenance: Component activities include: providing supervision and clerical support for the administration of transit way and structures maintenance and other buildings, grounds and equipment maintenance; preparing and updating records for transit way and structures maintenance and other buildings, grounds and equipment maintenance records; providing technical training to facilities maintenance personnel; and engineering maintenance of transit way and structures, and of other buildings, grounds and equipment.

General Administration: All activities associated with the general administration of the transit agency, including: transit service development; injuries and damages; safety; personnel administration; legal services; insurance; data processing; finance and accounting; purchasing and stores; engineering; real estate management; office management and services; customer services; promotion; market research; and planning.

Operator: Employee whose primary responsibility is the operation of revenue vehicles, including drivers, conductors, and ferry boat crews.

Non-Operator: Employee whose primary responsibility does not include the operation of revenue vehicles, such as mechanics, schedulers, and managers.

Directly Operated: Transportation service provided directly by a transit agency, using their employees to supply the necessary labor to operate the revenue vehicles. The Agency Explorer shows only directly operated statistics.

Full Reporter: Systems receiving Urbanized Area Formula Grants and operating more than 30 vehicles or either fixed guideway or high intensity busways.

Vehicles Operated in Annual Maximum Service (VOMS): The number of revenue vehicles operated to meet the annual maximum service requirement. This is the revenue vehicle count during the peak season of the year; on the week and day that maximum service is provided.

Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT): The number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination.

Urbanized Area (UZA): An urbanized area is an incorporated area with a population of 50,000 or more that is designated as such by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

For more information, please see NTD’s Glossary or NTD’s Reporting Policy Manual.