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Transportation and material moving occupations had employment of 10.2 million in May 2018, representing 7.1 percent of total U.S. employment. The largest transportation and material moving occupation was laborers and hand freight, stock, and material movers, with employment of 2.9 million. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.8 million), light truck or delivery services drivers (915,310), and hand packers and packagers (663,970) also were among the largest transportation and material moving occupations.
Occupation | Employment | Annual mean wage |
---|---|---|
Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers |
||
Aircraft cargo handling supervisors |
8,920 | $55,110 |
First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors |
411,060 | 58,140 |
Air transportation workers |
||
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers |
82,890 | 169,560 |
Commercial pilots |
37,870 | 96,530 |
Air traffic controllers |
22,390 | 120,830 |
Airfield operations specialists |
9,960 | 56,760 |
Flight attendants |
118,770 | 56,630 |
Motor vehicle operators |
||
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians |
15,380 | 29,010 |
Bus drivers, transit and intercity |
174,110 | 44,650 |
Bus drivers, school or special client |
504,150 | 33,390 |
Driver/sales workers |
414,860 | 29,610 |
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers |
1,800,330 | 45,570 |
Light truck or delivery services drivers |
915,310 | 36,920 |
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs |
207,920 | 28,450 |
Motor vehicle operators, all other |
56,810 | 35,640 |
Rail transportation workers |
||
Locomotive engineers |
34,850 | 66,920 |
Locomotive firers |
560 | 69,030 |
Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers |
5,690 | 54,640 |
Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators |
14,270 | 58,890 |
Railroad conductors and yardmasters |
42,360 | 66,080 |
Subway and streetcar operators |
8,850 | 62,970 |
Rail transportation workers, all other |
2,890 | 58,490 |
Water transportation workers |
||
Sailors and marine oilers |
32,220 | 46,180 |
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels |
36,390 | 82,380 |
Motorboat operators |
2,510 | 50,350 |
Ship engineers |
8,740 | 75,710 |
Other transportation workers |
||
Bridge and lock tenders |
3,170 | 47,660 |
Parking lot attendants |
145,900 | 25,130 |
Automotive and watercraft service attendants |
113,760 | 25,940 |
Traffic technicians |
7,290 | 50,700 |
Transportation inspectors |
29,990 | 75,330 |
Transportation attendants, except flight attendants |
25,460 | 30,640 |
Transportation workers, all other |
37,560 | 42,870 |
Material moving workers |
||
Conveyor operators and tenders |
23,390 | 35,110 |
Crane and tower operators |
44,410 | 58,160 |
Dredge operators |
1,190 | 47,500 |
Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators |
46,090 | 48,680 |
Loading machine operators, underground mining |
2,500 | 51,450 |
Hoist and winch operators |
3,180 | 56,390 |
Industrial truck and tractor operators |
604,130 | 36,480 |
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment |
378,850 | 26,900 |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
2,893,180 | 30,890 |
Machine feeders and offbearers |
66,380 | 31,710 |
Packers and packagers, hand |
663,970 | 26,490 |
Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators |
3,460 | 62,900 |
Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers |
10,820 | 47,510 |
Wellhead pumpers |
13,280 | 53,870 |
Refuse and recyclable material collectors |
118,520 | 40,560 |
Mine shuttle car operators |
1,690 | 56,150 |
Tank car, truck, and ship loaders |
9,000 | 42,330 |
Material moving workers, all other |
27,010 | 35,000 |
The smallest transportation and material moving occupations were locomotive firers (560), dredge operators (1,190), and mine shuttle car operators (1,690).
Transportation and material moving occupations had an annual mean wage of $38,290, below the U.S. average of $51,960 for all occupations combined. Several of the highest paying transportation and material moving occupations were related to air or water transportation, including airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers ($169,560); air traffic controllers ($120,830); commercial pilots ($96,530); captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels ($82,380); and ship engineers ($75,710).
Parking lot attendants ($25,130), automotive and watercraft service attendants ($25,940), hand packers and packagers ($26,490), and cleaners of vehicles and equipment ($26,900) were the lowest paying transportation and material moving occupations.
These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more, see the occupational profiles for transportation and material moving occupations. Also see "Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2018."
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Pilots and air traffic controllers were highest paid transportation workers in May 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/pilots-and-air-traffic-controllers-were-highest-paid-transportation-workers-in-may-2018.htm (visited December 12, 2024).