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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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

This major group 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 ; Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity ; Bus Drivers, School or Special Client ; Driver/Sales Workers ; Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ; Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers ; Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs ; Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other ; Locomotive Engineers ; Locomotive Firers ; Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers ; Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators ; 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 Lot Attendants ; Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants ; Traffic Technicians ; Transportation Inspectors ; Transportation Attendants, Except Flight Attendants ; Transportation Workers, All Other ; Conveyor Operators and Tenders ; Crane and Tower Operators ; Dredge Operators ; Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators ; Loading Machine Operators, Underground Mining ; 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 ; Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators ; Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ; Wellhead Pumpers ; Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors ; Mine Shuttle Car Operators ; Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders ; Material Moving Workers, All Other


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this major group:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
10,244,260 0.3 % $18.41 $38,290 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this major group:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.94 $11.87 $15.74 $21.96 $29.75
Annual Wage (2) $20,670 $24,700 $32,730 $45,670 $61,870


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Truck Transportation 1,122,020 75.97 $21.62 $44,970
Employment Services 890,660 24.32 $13.45 $27,980
Warehousing and Storage 725,670 63.34 $17.70 $36,810
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 535,310 85.55 $20.29 $42,200
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) 385,920 39.30 $18.60 $38,690

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 535,310 85.55 $20.29 $42,200
School and Employee Bus Transportation 171,250 79.20 $17.23 $35,830
Inland Water Transportation 20,070 77.21 $31.59 $65,700
Charter Bus Industry 22,560 76.68 $16.21 $33,710
Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation 80,520 76.52 $15.13 $31,470

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 50,350 2.51 $43.60 $90,690
Scheduled Air Transportation 266,950 58.84 $41.90 $87,160
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 20,190 44.80 $38.56 $80,210
Technical and Trade Schools 5,470 4.06 $37.92 $78,880
Natural Gas Distribution 1,830 1.67 $33.32 $69,310


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 1,160,680 68.24 0.96 $19.01 $39,530
Texas 865,690 71.46 1.01 $19.12 $39,770
Florida 544,380 63.24 0.89 $17.60 $36,600
New York 515,160 54.89 0.78 $20.66 $42,960
Illinois 499,650 83.40 1.18 $19.02 $39,560




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kentucky 180,490 95.50 1.35 $17.79 $37,000
Tennessee 277,290 93.78 1.32 $16.83 $35,010
New Jersey 379,840 93.78 1.32 $18.30 $38,070
Mississippi 99,780 88.78 1.25 $16.01 $33,290
Indiana 269,730 88.49 1.25 $17.34 $36,080




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 22,570 71.58 1.01 $28.52 $59,320
District of Columbia 15,630 21.95 0.31 $22.92 $47,670
Hawaii 42,020 65.47 0.92 $22.81 $47,450
Wyoming 22,070 81.95 1.16 $22.17 $46,110
North Dakota 33,930 81.45 1.15 $21.77 $45,270





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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 619,870 65.26 0.92 $20.42 $42,470
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 423,190 69.16 0.98 $18.95 $39,420
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 392,040 84.46 1.19 $19.26 $40,070
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 288,010 80.72 1.14 $20.82 $43,310
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 234,400 87.37 1.23 $18.05 $37,550
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 212,400 71.22 1.01 $19.66 $40,890
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 193,070 67.77 0.96 $18.02 $37,480
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 180,710 69.77 0.99 $19.44 $40,440
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 166,670 111.62 1.58 $18.03 $37,500
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 142,310 71.72 1.01 $23.17 $48,200




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA 8,550 147.89 2.09 $17.91 $37,250
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 91,180 146.33 2.07 $16.75 $34,830
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 11,630 137.87 1.95 $25.24 $52,490
Dalton, GA 8,860 137.18 1.94 $14.22 $29,580
Stockton-Lodi, CA 33,170 134.40 1.90 $19.69 $40,940
Lebanon, PA 6,460 130.70 1.85 $15.39 $32,020
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 30,740 118.36 1.67 $16.86 $35,080
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 9,770 115.87 1.64 $17.59 $36,590
Danville, IL 3,070 115.38 1.63 $17.97 $37,380
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 41,740 114.92 1.62 $17.33 $36,050




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Anchorage, AK 12,180 70.88 1.00 $30.97 $64,420
Fairbanks, AK 2,250 63.49 0.90 $25.77 $53,610
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 11,630 137.87 1.95 $25.24 $52,490
Urban Honolulu, HI 30,770 65.98 0.93 $24.29 $50,530
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 142,310 71.72 1.01 $23.17 $48,200
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 140,300 58.00 0.82 $22.87 $47,560
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 91,080 61.62 0.87 $21.77 $45,290
Midland, TX 10,270 101.07 1.43 $21.50 $44,710
Barnstable Town, MA 5,160 49.86 0.70 $21.47 $44,650
Casper, WY 2,850 74.48 1.05 $21.06 $43,810

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 28,460 72.53 1.02 $17.35 $36,090
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 26,260 78.44 1.11 $16.94 $35,240
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 25,380 98.59 1.39 $18.26 $37,980
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 22,720 83.49 1.18 $16.31 $33,910
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 22,310 86.13 1.22 $15.13 $31,460

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 19,150 112.11 1.58 $15.37 $31,970
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 7,970 111.12 1.57 $19.56 $40,680
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 10,540 109.61 1.55 $14.86 $30,910
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 20,720 108.83 1.54 $16.73 $34,800
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 7,580 107.91 1.52 $16.61 $34,540

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 7,850 73.94 1.04 $25.47 $52,980
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 12,730 105.05 1.48 $24.96 $51,910
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 6,690 69.49 0.98 $22.07 $45,910
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 7,170 72.51 1.02 $21.94 $45,640
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 4,770 72.77 1.03 $21.32 $44,350


About May 2018 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.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019