Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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

This major group comprises the following occupations: Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ; First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand ; First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators ; 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)
9,731,790 0.3 % $17.34 $36,070 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this major group:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.21 $10.91 $14.78 $20.76 $28.50
Annual Wage (2) $19,150 $22,680 $30,730 $43,170 $59,270


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)
Employment Services 813,720 22.48 $12.46 $25,910
General Freight Trucking 769,280 77.06 $21.04 $43,760
Warehousing and Storage 564,350 62.10 $16.50 $34,310
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 481,860 85.65 $19.64 $40,850
Specialized Freight Trucking 330,410 72.85 $19.81 $41,210

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 481,860 85.65 $19.64 $40,850
School and Employee Bus Transportation 172,800 80.64 $15.86 $32,990
General Freight Trucking 769,280 77.06 $21.04 $43,760
Charter Bus Industry 22,240 76.50 $15.54 $32,330
Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation 79,880 75.84 $13.92 $28,960

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) 51,720 2.56 $41.97 $87,290
Scheduled Air Transportation 238,310 56.61 $39.01 $81,140
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 20,220 47.25 $36.69 $76,310
Technical and Trade Schools 6,010 4.35 $33.60 $69,890
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 22,590 57.17 $32.44 $67,480


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 1,051,380 65.85 0.95 $17.75 $36,920
Texas 837,900 71.34 1.03 $18.08 $37,600
Florida 501,290 60.97 0.88 $16.39 $34,090
New York 484,920 53.30 0.77 $19.24 $40,030
Illinois 473,430 80.19 1.16 $17.71 $36,840




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)
Tennessee 275,940 95.38 1.38 $15.73 $32,720
Kentucky 176,380 94.34 1.36 $17.17 $35,700
North Dakota 39,550 93.02 1.34 $21.47 $44,670
Arkansas 104,060 87.35 1.26 $15.54 $32,330
Indiana 258,650 86.47 1.25 $16.63 $34,590




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 23,510 72.68 1.05 $25.22 $52,460
Hawaii 41,830 66.17 0.95 $21.55 $44,830
North Dakota 39,550 93.02 1.34 $21.47 $44,670
District of Columbia 14,400 20.50 0.30 $21.13 $43,950
Wyoming 23,600 85.47 1.23 $20.98 $43,650





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-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 386,390 58.66 0.85 $19.05 $39,620
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 313,650 74.31 1.07 $17.52 $36,440
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 290,920 79.95 1.15 $18.24 $37,940
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 215,540 84.41 1.22 $16.99 $35,340
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 213,330 72.68 1.05 $19.73 $41,040
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 179,010 73.67 1.06 $17.96 $37,360
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 146,510 107.54 1.55 $17.28 $35,940
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 119,760 61.88 0.89 $17.65 $36,720
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 114,630 60.01 0.87 $18.74 $38,980
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 108,190 43.44 0.63 $20.06 $41,720




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 8,750 152.60 2.20 $17.28 $35,950
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 91,560 146.77 2.12 $15.82 $32,910
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 12,610 140.23 2.02 $24.38 $50,700
Dalton, GA 9,110 133.35 1.92 $14.16 $29,450
Stockton-Lodi, CA 28,330 124.36 1.79 $18.01 $37,470
York-Hanover, PA 21,230 118.32 1.71 $16.79 $34,920
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA 5,590 117.05 1.69 $18.26 $37,980
Laredo, TX 11,370 116.49 1.68 $14.72 $30,630
Joplin, MO 8,950 116.25 1.68 $17.20 $35,780
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 29,160 113.64 1.64 $16.52 $34,370




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 13,220 75.04 1.08 $26.81 $55,760
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 12,610 140.23 2.02 $24.38 $50,700
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 56,110 52.58 0.76 $24.07 $50,060
Urban Honolulu, HI 30,860 66.73 0.96 $22.89 $47,620
Fairbanks, AK 2,240 60.35 0.87 $22.67 $47,140
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 103,840 65.37 0.94 $22.13 $46,030
Midland, TX 8,520 98.53 1.42 $21.51 $44,740
San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division 5,010 44.85 0.65 $20.93 $43,530
Casper, WY 2,810 69.16 1.00 $20.86 $43,390
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 89,370 91.13 1.31 $20.74 $43,150

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)
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 26,780 81.07 1.17 $16.06 $33,400
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 23,060 91.17 1.32 $16.94 $35,230
North Texas nonmetropolitan area 22,240 83.51 1.20 $15.36 $31,950
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 21,650 84.90 1.22 $13.96 $29,030
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 21,290 92.84 1.34 $14.73 $30,630

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)
Far West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 9,040 138.73 2.00 $25.67 $53,390
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 16,040 114.59 1.65 $16.35 $34,020
Pee Dee South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 5,130 113.20 1.63 $14.36 $29,860
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 7,420 108.61 1.57 $15.53 $32,300
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 16,530 108.08 1.56 $17.40 $36,180

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)
Far West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 9,040 138.73 2.00 $25.67 $53,390
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 2,610 74.19 1.07 $23.57 $49,020
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area 5,280 71.63 1.03 $23.42 $48,710
West Central North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 6,050 101.68 1.47 $23.35 $48,570
Northeast Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 4,840 100.80 1.45 $22.25 $46,280


About May 2016 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 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017