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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