Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
53-7011 Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.
National estimates for Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Industry profile for Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Geographic profile for Conveyor Operators and Tenders
National estimates for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 28,650 |
2.8 % |
$ 17.80 |
$ 37,010 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.84 |
$ 14.26 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 19.47 |
$ 23.53 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,790 |
$ 29,650 |
$ 36,420 |
$ 40,490 |
$ 48,950 |
Industry profile for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Conveyor Operators and Tenders are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Conveyor Operators and Tenders, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Top paying industries for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
30 |
(7) |
$ 32.82 |
$ 68,270 |
| Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills |
80 |
0.10 |
$ 26.90 |
$ 55,940 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying |
390 |
0.41 |
$ 24.09 |
$ 50,120 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
110 |
0.03 |
$ 23.83 |
$ 49,570 |
| Household Appliance Manufacturing |
600 |
0.92 |
$ 23.52 |
$ 48,920 |
Geographic profile for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Conveyor Operators and Tenders are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Conveyor Operators and Tenders, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,810 |
0.17 |
0.84 |
$ 18.71 |
$ 38,920 |
| Texas |
2,780 |
0.23 |
1.12 |
$ 15.59 |
$ 32,420 |
| Illinois |
1,420 |
0.25 |
1.25 |
$ 18.80 |
$ 39,110 |
| Ohio |
1,380 |
0.27 |
1.30 |
$ 19.94 |
$ 41,480 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,280 |
0.23 |
1.13 |
$ 18.37 |
$ 38,220 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
490 |
1.65 |
8.11 |
(8) |
(8) |
| South Dakota |
570 |
1.36 |
6.67 |
$ 16.51 |
$ 34,340 |
| Kansas |
1,190 |
0.89 |
4.38 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,240 |
| West Virginia |
540 |
0.83 |
4.07 |
$ 21.37 |
$ 44,450 |
| Iowa |
890 |
0.60 |
2.96 |
$ 18.45 |
$ 38,380 |
Top paying states for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Wyoming |
120 |
0.48 |
2.34 |
$ 31.27 |
$ 65,030 |
| Kentucky |
270 |
0.15 |
0.73 |
$ 22.22 |
$ 46,230 |
| Alabama |
150 |
0.08 |
0.38 |
$ 21.58 |
$ 44,890 |
| New Jersey |
140 |
0.04 |
0.18 |
$ 21.42 |
$ 44,550 |
| West Virginia |
540 |
0.83 |
4.07 |
$ 21.37 |
$ 44,450 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
870 |
0.15 |
0.74 |
$ 16.95 |
$ 35,260 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
810 |
0.19 |
0.94 |
$ 19.10 |
$ 39,730 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
750 |
0.21 |
1.03 |
$ 16.48 |
$ 34,280 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
680 |
0.28 |
1.36 |
$ 15.75 |
$ 32,770 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
670 |
0.08 |
0.38 |
$ 20.16 |
$ 41,940 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
550 |
0.26 |
1.29 |
$ 15.69 |
$ 32,620 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
480 |
0.31 |
1.53 |
$ 18.79 |
$ 39,070 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
410 |
0.23 |
1.11 |
$ 20.44 |
$ 42,510 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
410 |
0.14 |
0.69 |
$ 16.82 |
$ 34,990 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
380 |
0.21 |
1.03 |
$ 21.43 |
$ 44,580 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Harrisonburg, VA |
100 |
1.56 |
7.65 |
$ 15.97 |
$ 33,210 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH |
80 |
1.36 |
6.69 |
$ 30.25 |
$ 62,910 |
| Lubbock, TX |
140 |
1.00 |
4.90 |
$ 13.48 |
$ 28,030 |
| Sioux Falls, SD |
130 |
0.82 |
4.02 |
$ 16.62 |
$ 34,560 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD |
70 |
0.79 |
3.86 |
$ 18.35 |
$ 38,170 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL |
70 |
0.72 |
3.56 |
$ 17.52 |
$ 36,430 |
| York-Hanover, PA |
110 |
0.64 |
3.14 |
$ 19.30 |
$ 40,140 |
| Joplin, MO |
40 |
0.57 |
2.80 |
$ 17.62 |
$ 36,660 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA |
190 |
0.53 |
2.60 |
$ 16.40 |
$ 34,100 |
| Fargo, ND-MN |
70 |
0.48 |
2.37 |
$ 15.65 |
$ 32,550 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Wheeling, WV-OH |
80 |
1.36 |
6.69 |
$ 30.25 |
$ 62,910 |
| Merced, CA |
30 |
0.47 |
2.31 |
$ 25.57 |
$ 53,190 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
50 |
0.11 |
0.54 |
$ 22.42 |
$ 46,630 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
70 |
0.08 |
0.37 |
$ 21.95 |
$ 45,650 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
40 |
0.31 |
1.51 |
$ 21.68 |
$ 45,100 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
380 |
0.21 |
1.03 |
$ 21.43 |
$ 44,580 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
410 |
0.23 |
1.11 |
$ 20.44 |
$ 42,510 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
670 |
0.08 |
0.38 |
$ 20.16 |
$ 41,940 |
| Eugene, OR |
40 |
0.24 |
1.19 |
$ 20.11 |
$ 41,820 |
| Modesto, CA |
80 |
0.42 |
2.09 |
$ 20.01 |
$ 41,630 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Conveyor Operators and Tenders:
About May 2021 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 top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
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.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
