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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (Major Group)

Transportation and Material Moving Occupations comprises the following occupations: Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors; First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors; Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers; Commercial Pilots; Air Traffic Controllers; Airfield Operations Specialists; Flight Attendants; Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians; Driver/Sales Workers; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers; Light Truck Drivers; Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity; Passenger Vehicle Drivers, Except Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity; Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other; Locomotive Engineers; Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers; Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers; Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters; Subway and Streetcar Operators; Rail Transportation Workers, All Other; Sailors and Marine Oilers; Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels; Motorboat Operators; Ship Engineers; Bridge and Lock Tenders; Parking Attendants; Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants; Traffic Technicians; Transportation Inspectors; Passenger Attendants; Aircraft Service Attendants and Transportation Workers, All Other; Conveyor Operators and Tenders; Crane and Tower Operators; Dredge Operators; Hoist and Winch Operators; Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators; Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment; Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand; Machine Feeders and Offbearers; Packers and Packagers, Hand; Stockers and Order Fillers; Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators; Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers; Wellhead Pumpers; Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors; Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders; Material Moving Workers, All Other


National estimates for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Industry profile for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Geographic profile for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

National estimates for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
12,163,360 0.3 % $ 19.08 $ 39,680 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 10.81 $ 13.02 $ 16.38 $ 22.32 $ 30.32
Annual Wage (2) $ 22,490 $ 27,070 $ 34,080 $ 46,430 $ 63,050


Industry profile for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Truck Transportation 1,115,560 75.84 $ 23.01 $ 47,850
Warehousing and Storage 1,061,770 74.89 $ 18.39 $ 38,240
Employment Services 825,520 25.79 $ 14.78 $ 30,750
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 753,200 25.90 $ 14.12 $ 29,370
General Merchandise Stores 674,750 22.53 $ 13.86 $ 28,830

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 643,820 83.73 $ 21.63 $ 44,990
Inland Water Transportation 19,930 80.58 $ 32.65 $ 67,920
School and Employee Bus Transportation 133,700 78.64 $ 18.73 $ 38,960
Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation 73,950 76.34 $ 16.27 $ 33,840
Truck Transportation 1,115,560 75.84 $ 23.01 $ 47,850

Top paying industries for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 18,950 41.39 $ 47.52 $ 98,850
Scheduled Air Transportation 272,620 61.76 $ 44.85 $ 93,290
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 55,390 2.66 $ 43.54 $ 90,560
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 730 0.08 $ 39.88 $ 82,950
Technical and Trade Schools 6,290 5.02 $ 38.06 $ 79,170


Geographic profile for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 1,399,640 85.18 0.97 $ 20.28 $ 42,180
Texas 1,063,900 87.91 1.01 $ 19.39 $ 40,330
Florida 699,650 82.88 0.95 $ 17.92 $ 37,270
Illinois 581,380 103.31 1.18 $ 20.11 $ 41,830
New York 565,210 65.03 0.74 $ 21.55 $ 44,830




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kentucky 211,490 118.64 1.36 $ 18.67 $ 38,830
Tennessee 331,750 114.25 1.31 $ 17.45 $ 36,300
New Jersey 424,270 112.16 1.28 $ 19.31 $ 40,170
Arkansas 128,670 109.24 1.25 $ 17.50 $ 36,400
Mississippi 116,990 108.64 1.24 $ 16.64 $ 34,610




Top paying states for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 25,010 84.42 0.97 $ 28.53 $ 59,350
Hawaii 45,630 79.49 0.91 $ 24.37 $ 50,690
District of Columbia 14,480 21.08 0.24 $ 23.99 $ 49,900
Washington 243,690 76.27 0.87 $ 23.20 $ 48,260
North Dakota 39,020 97.55 1.12 $ 21.98 $ 45,720





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 672,500 76.12 0.87 $ 21.56 $ 44,840
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 482,170 82.81 0.95 $ 20.23 $ 42,080
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 451,800 103.57 1.18 $ 20.54 $ 42,720
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 354,830 98.88 1.13 $ 20.87 $ 43,410
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 266,650 101.28 1.16 $ 18.34 $ 38,140
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 262,880 88.55 1.01 $ 19.81 $ 41,210
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 227,620 84.41 0.97 $ 18.47 $ 38,420
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 223,180 149.81 1.71 $ 19.11 $ 39,750
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 221,110 88.16 1.01 $ 19.19 $ 39,910
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 187,860 89.09 1.02 $ 19.06 $ 39,640




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 103,860 170.78 1.95 $ 17.99 $ 37,420
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA 8,960 159.84 1.83 $ 18.52 $ 38,510
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 12,320 150.81 1.72 (8) (8)
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 223,180 149.81 1.71 $ 19.11 $ 39,750
Lebanon, PA 7,130 148.90 1.70 $ 16.25 $ 33,790
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 14,300 148.83 1.70 $ 17.77 $ 36,960
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ 8,400 146.69 1.68 $ 16.80 $ 34,950
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 11,350 144.89 1.66 $ 18.11 $ 37,670
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 34,740 143.32 1.64 $ 17.18 $ 35,740
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 48,740 141.76 1.62 $ 17.87 $ 37,160




Top paying metropolitan areas for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Anchorage, AK 14,050 85.40 0.98 $ 30.66 $ 63,770
Urban Honolulu, HI 32,770 79.05 0.90 $ 26.51 $ 55,140
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 143,010 73.12 0.84 $ 25.19 $ 52,390
Fairbanks, AK 2,750 89.04 1.02 $ 24.77 $ 51,520
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 169,240 72.61 0.83 $ 24.41 $ 50,760
Midland, TX 11,130 111.99 1.28 $ 23.25 $ 48,350
Odessa, TX 8,860 120.24 1.38 $ 22.27 $ 46,330
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 3,390 73.60 0.84 $ 22.26 $ 46,310
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 122,950 84.36 0.96 $ 22.24 $ 46,250
Greeley, CO 11,700 111.95 1.28 $ 21.98 $ 45,730

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 35,240 93.14 1.07 $ 17.56 $ 36,520
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 28,310 90.81 1.04 $ 17.44 $ 36,270
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 27,770 116.31 1.33 $ 18.54 $ 38,560
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 25,630 95.26 1.09 $ 16.61 $ 34,550
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 25,350 103.06 1.18 $ 17.24 $ 35,850

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 23,890 132.64 1.52 $ 17.56 $ 36,530
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area 21,660 131.83 1.51 $ 15.28 $ 31,790
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 10,710 125.70 1.44 $ 15.92 $ 33,110
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 16,460 123.61 1.41 $ 19.00 $ 39,520
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 12,580 123.43 1.41 $ 16.38 $ 34,060

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 8,070 80.65 0.92 $ 25.84 $ 53,750
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 13,980 120.87 1.38 $ 25.18 $ 52,360
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 7,520 79.89 0.91 $ 22.19 $ 46,160
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 6,720 58.66 0.67 $ 21.65 $ 45,040
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 10,310 87.60 1.00 $ 21.63 $ 44,990


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021