Transportation Salary Statistics 2026
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations employ 13,677,150 people in the United States, with a median wage of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).
Wage estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Rankings, ratios and shares on this page are PayCrunch calculations from that national file. Figures are annual and not adjusted for cost of living.
Pay for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, SOC major group 53-0000, in the BLS OEWS May 2025 national file.
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Transportation and Material Moving Occupations employ 13,677,150 people in the United States, with a median wage of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).
Key statistics
Each line is one figure with its source. Quote any of them directly; the citation format is at the foot of the page.
- Transportation and Material Moving Occupations employ 13,677,150 people, with a median wage of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The group is 8.8% of US employment of 155,495,730.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers have the highest median in the group, at $232,140, with a mean of $288,650 and employment of 103,560.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Air Traffic Controllers are second, at a median of $148,080.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Commercial Pilots are third, at a median of $123,220.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Parking Attendants have the lowest median in the group, at $35,150, with employment of 137,880.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is the largest occupation in the group, with 2,950,280 jobs and a median of $40,240.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Stockers and Order Fillers are next, with 2,833,810 jobs and a median of $37,330.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers follow, with 2,062,040 jobs and a median of $58,640.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- 4 detailed occupations in the group have a median of $100,000 or more and employ 182,100 people, 1.3% of the group's employment.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The national file lists 50 detailed occupations in this group.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Transportation and Material Moving Occupations have a 10th percentile of $31,060 and a 90th percentile of $72,440 (2.33x).Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Commercial Pilots have the widest gap in the group between those percentiles: $58,850 at the 10th and $266,620 at the 90th, 4.53 times, across 47,630 jobs.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants have the narrowest gap in the group: $28,630 at the 10th and $46,060 at the 90th, 1.61 times, across 102,010 jobs.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The mean wage for the group, $49,850, sits $5,500 above the median of $44,350.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The group's median is $6,630 below the all-occupations median of $50,980.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Both percentiles are published for 50 occupations in the group.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
All 50 occupations in the group by median wage
Every detailed occupation in SOC major group 53-0000 with a published annual median, sorted by that median. Employment and the mean are the figures BLS publishes for the same occupation.
| Occupation▲ | SOC▲ | Employment▲ | Median▲ | Mean▲ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 53-2011 | 103,560 | $232,140 | $288,650 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | 53-2021 | 22,510 | $148,080 | $146,490 |
| Commercial Pilots | 53-2012 | 47,630 | $123,220 | $146,080 |
| Ship Engineers | 53-5031 | 8,400 | $109,530 | $111,790 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 53-5021 | 36,850 | $92,460 | $103,720 |
| Transportation Inspectors | 53-6051 | 24,500 | $92,100 | $88,540 |
| Subway and Streetcar Operators | 53-4041 | 10,200 | $86,380 | $77,170 |
| Locomotive Engineers | 53-4011 | 33,470 | $81,410 | $85,900 |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 53-4031 | 46,440 | $78,000 | $79,100 |
| Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | 53-7071 | 3,510 | $77,320 | $74,610 |
| Wellhead Pumpers | 53-7073 | 17,990 | $69,960 | $70,370 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 53-4022 | 12,400 | $68,840 | $69,030 |
| Crane and Tower Operators | 53-7021 | 42,890 | $68,080 | $72,130 |
| Flight Attendants | 53-2031 | 131,650 | $63,580 | $77,440 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 53-1047 | 623,640 | $62,890 | $66,860 |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | 53-7072 | 9,780 | $61,770 | $63,960 |
| Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 53-4013 | 3,920 | $60,600 | $68,450 |
| Traffic Technicians | 53-6041 | 7,860 | $59,090 | $62,050 |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | 53-3052 | 159,240 | $59,050 | $60,280 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | 53-7121 | 10,700 | $58,870 | $59,970 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 53-3032 | 2,062,040 | $58,640 | $59,710 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 53-1041 | 9,760 | $58,170 | $65,010 |
| Bridge and Lock Tenders | 53-6011 | 3,040 | $57,700 | $55,370 |
| Airfield Operations Specialists | 53-2022 | 15,190 | $56,850 | $63,610 |
| Hoist and Winch Operators | 53-7041 | 2,600 | $56,450 | $67,710 |
| Rail Transportation Workers, All Other | 53-4099 | 1,120 | $56,360 | $60,140 |
| Sailors and Marine Oilers | 53-5011 | 31,670 | $51,520 | $56,830 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | 53-7081 | 147,240 | $49,690 | $52,820 |
| Dredge Operators | 53-7031 | 1,040 | $49,640 | $56,120 |
| Bus Drivers, School | 53-3051 | 402,930 | $47,920 | $48,430 |
| Motorboat Operators | 53-5022 | 2,480 | $47,520 | $56,270 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 53-7051 | 774,420 | $46,420 | $48,370 |
| Transportation Workers, All Other | 53-6099 | 13,550 | $45,650 | $50,890 |
| Light Truck Drivers | 53-3033 | 983,300 | $44,860 | $48,770 |
| Conveyor Operators and Tenders | 53-7011 | 22,930 | $42,420 | $45,080 |
| Taxi Drivers | 53-3054 | 41,050 | $42,100 | $49,930 |
| Material Moving Workers, All Other | 53-7199 | 23,480 | $41,800 | $45,640 |
| Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 53-7063 | 42,330 | $41,220 | $43,660 |
| Aircraft Service Attendants | 53-6032 | 31,300 | $40,450 | $43,330 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 53-7062 | 2,950,280 | $40,240 | $42,260 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 53-3031 | 409,180 | $38,770 | $40,730 |
| Passenger Attendants | 53-6061 | 27,110 | $37,720 | $37,820 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 53-7065 | 2,833,810 | $37,330 | $39,540 |
| Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | 53-3053 | 248,530 | $37,290 | $39,880 |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other | 53-3099 | 46,880 | $37,180 | $42,430 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 53-7064 | 559,820 | $36,280 | $37,540 |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 53-7061 | 380,430 | $35,830 | $36,980 |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | 53-6031 | 102,010 | $35,670 | $36,780 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 53-3011 | 12,630 | $35,450 | $36,210 |
| Parking Attendants | 53-6021 | 137,880 | $35,150 | $34,990 |
National figures, BLS OEWS May 2025. Click a column to sort.
The 15 largest occupations in the group
The same occupations, ranked by national employment.
| Occupation▲ | SOC▲ | Employment▲ | Median▲ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 53-7062 | 2,950,280 | $40,240 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 53-7065 | 2,833,810 | $37,330 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 53-3032 | 2,062,040 | $58,640 |
| Light Truck Drivers | 53-3033 | 983,300 | $44,860 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 53-7051 | 774,420 | $46,420 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 53-1047 | 623,640 | $62,890 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 53-7064 | 559,820 | $36,280 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 53-3031 | 409,180 | $38,770 |
| Bus Drivers, School | 53-3051 | 402,930 | $47,920 |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 53-7061 | 380,430 | $35,830 |
| Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | 53-3053 | 248,530 | $37,290 |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | 53-3052 | 159,240 | $59,050 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | 53-7081 | 147,240 | $49,690 |
| Parking Attendants | 53-6021 | 137,880 | $35,150 |
| Flight Attendants | 53-2031 | 131,650 | $63,580 |
National figures, BLS OEWS May 2025. Click a column to sort.
Pay spread for the 50 occupations with a published 10th and 90th percentile
The ratio is the published annual 90th percentile divided by the published annual 10th percentile. Sorted from the widest spread to the narrowest. An occupation is left out when either percentile is unpublished or the 10th percentile is not above zero.
| Occupation▲ | SOC▲ | Employment▲ | 10th percentile▲ | 90th percentile▲ | 90/10 ratio▲ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pilots | 53-2012 | 47,630 | $58,850 | $266,620 | 4.53x |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 53-2011 | 103,560 | $106,710 | $463,830 | 4.35x |
| Flight Attendants | 53-2031 | 131,650 | $35,110 | $136,430 | 3.89x |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 53-5021 | 36,850 | $47,420 | $170,640 | 3.60x |
| Transportation Inspectors | 53-6051 | 24,500 | $40,330 | $138,670 | 3.44x |
| Hoist and Winch Operators | 53-7041 | 2,600 | $35,640 | $118,210 | 3.32x |
| Ship Engineers | 53-5031 | 8,400 | $57,870 | $165,490 | 2.86x |
| Airfield Operations Specialists | 53-2022 | 15,190 | $35,870 | $102,120 | 2.85x |
| Air Traffic Controllers | 53-2021 | 22,510 | $78,420 | $215,610 | 2.75x |
| Bridge and Lock Tenders | 53-6011 | 3,040 | $28,090 | $75,360 | 2.68x |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 53-3031 | 409,180 | $22,590 | $59,980 | 2.66x |
| Light Truck Drivers | 53-3033 | 983,300 | $30,800 | $80,310 | 2.61x |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other | 53-3099 | 46,880 | $26,540 | $66,500 | 2.51x |
| Motorboat Operators | 53-5022 | 2,480 | $34,510 | $84,530 | 2.45x |
| Crane and Tower Operators | 53-7021 | 42,890 | $42,640 | $103,570 | 2.43x |
| Sailors and Marine Oilers | 53-5011 | 31,670 | $34,560 | $83,620 | 2.42x |
| Transportation Workers, All Other | 53-6099 | 13,550 | $33,080 | $79,540 | 2.40x |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | 53-7072 | 9,780 | $39,420 | $91,820 | 2.33x |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | 53-7081 | 147,240 | $33,590 | $75,900 | 2.26x |
| Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 53-4013 | 3,920 | $44,540 | $100,270 | 2.25x |
| Bus Drivers, School | 53-3051 | 402,930 | $29,240 | $65,730 | 2.25x |
| Wellhead Pumpers | 53-7073 | 17,990 | $44,100 | $98,170 | 2.23x |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 53-1047 | 623,640 | $43,360 | $96,150 | 2.22x |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 53-1041 | 9,760 | $41,690 | $92,160 | 2.21x |
| Taxi Drivers | 53-3054 | 41,050 | $34,650 | $75,800 | 2.19x |
| Traffic Technicians | 53-6041 | 7,860 | $39,090 | $85,130 | 2.18x |
| Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | 53-7071 | 3,510 | $46,180 | $99,510 | 2.15x |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | 53-3052 | 159,240 | $40,030 | $84,700 | 2.12x |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | 53-7121 | 10,700 | $39,460 | $83,160 | 2.11x |
| Rail Transportation Workers, All Other | 53-4099 | 1,120 | $40,080 | $83,190 | 2.08x |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 53-3032 | 2,062,040 | $40,140 | $79,380 | 1.98x |
| Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | 53-3053 | 248,530 | $28,090 | $55,070 | 1.96x |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 53-4022 | 12,400 | $45,660 | $86,590 | 1.90x |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 53-4031 | 46,440 | $58,740 | $109,770 | 1.87x |
| Material Moving Workers, All Other | 53-7199 | 23,480 | $34,330 | $62,820 | 1.83x |
| Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 53-7063 | 42,330 | $32,220 | $58,160 | 1.81x |
| Dredge Operators | 53-7031 | 1,040 | $41,080 | $74,140 | 1.80x |
| Locomotive Engineers | 53-4011 | 33,470 | $60,680 | $109,220 | 1.80x |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 53-7062 | 2,950,280 | $31,270 | $55,140 | 1.76x |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 53-7061 | 380,430 | $27,380 | $47,610 | 1.74x |
| Aircraft Service Attendants | 53-6032 | 31,300 | $33,830 | $57,610 | 1.70x |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 53-7051 | 774,420 | $36,840 | $62,520 | 1.70x |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 53-7064 | 559,820 | $27,890 | $47,100 | 1.69x |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 53-3011 | 12,630 | $27,350 | $45,960 | 1.68x |
| Passenger Attendants | 53-6061 | 27,110 | $27,970 | $46,590 | 1.67x |
| Parking Attendants | 53-6021 | 137,880 | $27,040 | $44,550 | 1.65x |
| Conveyor Operators and Tenders | 53-7011 | 22,930 | $36,180 | $59,470 | 1.64x |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 53-7065 | 2,833,810 | $30,110 | $49,260 | 1.64x |
| Subway and Streetcar Operators | 53-4041 | 10,200 | $55,180 | $90,140 | 1.63x |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | 53-6031 | 102,010 | $28,630 | $46,060 | 1.61x |
National figures, BLS OEWS May 2025. Click a column to sort.
Pay for individual occupations
Pages for occupations in the tables above, where PayCrunch has a page for that SOC code. Pay for occupations that do not normally require a bachelor's degree is on the jobs without a degree page.
How to cite this page
Ready to paste for the page:
PayCrunch (2026). Transportation Salary Statistics 2026. Aggregated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://paycrunch.co/stats/transportation-salary-statistics.html (accessed 16 October 2026).
Ready to paste for the lead figure on this page:
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations employ 13,677,150 people in the United States, with a median wage of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).
Method
Source
Every wage and employment figure on this page comes from the national file of the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release of May 2025, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No wage here is a PayCrunch estimate. Rankings, ratios and shares are PayCrunch calculations from that file and are labelled as such.
What is counted
Transportation here is SOC major group 53-0000, Transportation and Material Moving Occupations. Employment, median and mean for the group are the published major-group row. The occupation tables are the detailed occupations whose SOC code starts with 53- (50 occupations). A detailed occupation is counted in the six-figure set when its published annual median is at least $100,000. The employment share of that set uses the major-group employment as the denominator. Rankings that need a median or an employment figure leave out an occupation that does not publish that figure. The 90/10 figure is the published annual 90th percentile divided by the published annual 10th percentile. For the group, both percentiles are the major-group row. A detailed occupation is in the spread table only when both percentiles are published and the 10th percentile is above zero (50 occupations). The gap between the group mean and the group median, and the gap between the group median and the all-occupations median, are subtractions of those published figures.
Rows left out
An occupation with no published annual median or percentile is left out of any ranking that needs that figure. In this release that is a handful of occupations for which BLS publishes an hourly wage only. The all-occupations median, and the all-occupations 10th and 90th percentiles, are the single total row in the file. That row describes workers. It is not the median of the occupation-level medians, which is a different statistic and is published on the average salary statistics page.
Rebuilding these numbers
The script that computes every figure on this page is .github/stats-gen/gen_national_stats_pages.py. It reads data/open/national_M2025_dl.xlsx and regenerates this page. Nothing on this page is typed by hand.
Limitations
- OEWS is a survey. Every figure carries sampling error, and the error is largest where the occupation is smallest.
- Wage and salary employment only. OEWS excludes the self-employed, so occupations with many independent workers are under-covered.
- The 90th percentile is not a maximum. It is a point on a wage distribution. Pay above it exists.
- No cost-of-living adjustment. All figures are nominal annual wages.
- SOC titles are classification labels, not job titles as employers use them, and one SOC code can cover several distinct jobs.
- One release only. These are May 2025 figures; OEWS releases are not straightforwardly comparable across years.
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