Bridge and Lock Tenders: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-6011 · O*NET 53-6011.00
Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
Bridge and Lock Tenders fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Bridge and Lock Tenders earn a median salary of $58,490 per year, ranking in the top 51% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -3.3% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do bridge and lock tenders earn?
The median annual wage for bridge and lock tenders is $58,490. That puts bridge and lock tenders at #414 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $32,690 |
| 25th percentile | $43,700 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $58,490 |
| 75th percentile | $69,530 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $74,400 |
| Median hourly wage | $28.12/hr |
Is bridge and lock tenders a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for bridge and lock tenders is -3.3%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 2K positions in 2024 to 2K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do bridge and lock tenders do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working bridge and lock tenders, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
- 2.Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.
- 3.Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
- 4.Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.
- 5.Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
- 6.Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.
- 7.Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.
- 8.Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
Top skills for bridge and lock tenders
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become bridge and lock tender?
Many bridge and lock tenders enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about bridge and lock tenders
What is the median salary for bridge and lock tenders?
The median annual salary for bridge and lock tenders is $58,490 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is bridge and lock tenders a growing career?
BLS projects -3.3% growth for bridge and lock tenders from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become bridge and lock tender?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to bridge and lock tenders?
Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.