Transportation and Material Moving Jobs — US Salaries
50 occupations · about 13,677,170 US workers · top-paid Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140 — BLS OEWS May 2025.
How much do transportation and material moving jobs pay in the US?
The Transportation and Material Moving field (SOC 53) covers 50 detailed US occupations employing about 13,677,170 people. Median pay across its 50 priced occupations runs from $35,150 to $232,140 a year, with Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers the highest-paid at $232,140 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The US all-occupations median is $50,980. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Occupations
50
in this field
US workers
13,677,170
total employment
Top median
$232,140
highest-paid job
Lowest median
$35,150
of priced jobs
Every transportation and material moving occupation, by median pay
| Occupation | Median | Mean | US workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersSOC 53-2011 | $232,140 | $288,650 | 103,560 |
| Air Traffic ControllersSOC 53-2021 | $148,080 | $146,490 | 22,510 |
| Commercial PilotsSOC 53-2012 | $123,220 | $146,080 | 47,630 |
| Ship EngineersSOC 53-5031 | $109,530 | $111,790 | 8,400 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water VesselsSOC 53-5021 | $92,460 | $103,720 | 36,850 |
| Transportation InspectorsSOC 53-6051 | $92,100 | $88,540 | 24,500 |
| Subway and Streetcar OperatorsSOC 53-4041 | $86,380 | $77,170 | 10,200 |
| Locomotive EngineersSOC 53-4011 | $81,410 | $85,900 | 33,470 |
| Railroad Conductors and YardmastersSOC 53-4031 | $78,000 | $79,100 | 46,440 |
| Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station OperatorsSOC 53-7071 | $77,320 | $74,610 | 3,510 |
| Wellhead PumpersSOC 53-7073 | $69,960 | $70,370 | 17,990 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive FirersSOC 53-4022 | $68,840 | $69,030 | 12,400 |
| Crane and Tower OperatorsSOC 53-7021 | $68,080 | $72,130 | 42,890 |
| Flight AttendantsSOC 53-2031 | $63,580 | $77,440 | 131,650 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsSOC 53-1047 | $62,890 | $66,860 | 623,640 |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead PumpersSOC 53-7072 | $61,770 | $63,960 | 9,780 |
| Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and HostlersSOC 53-4013 | $60,600 | $68,450 | 3,920 |
| Traffic TechniciansSOC 53-6041 | $59,090 | $62,050 | 7,860 |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercitySOC 53-3052 | $59,050 | $60,280 | 159,240 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship LoadersSOC 53-7121 | $58,870 | $59,970 | 10,700 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversSOC 53-3032 | $58,640 | $59,710 | 2,062,040 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsSOC 53-1041 | $58,170 | $65,010 | 9,760 |
| Bridge and Lock TendersSOC 53-6011 | $57,700 | $55,370 | 3,040 |
| Airfield Operations SpecialistsSOC 53-2022 | $56,850 | $63,610 | 15,190 |
| Hoist and Winch OperatorsSOC 53-7041 | $56,450 | $67,710 | 2,600 |
| Rail Transportation Workers, All OtherSOC 53-4099 | $56,360 | $60,140 | 1,120 |
| Sailors and Marine OilersSOC 53-5011 | $51,520 | $56,830 | 31,670 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsSOC 53-7081 | $49,690 | $52,820 | 147,240 |
| Dredge OperatorsSOC 53-7031 | $49,640 | $56,120 | 1,040 |
| Bus Drivers, SchoolSOC 53-3051 | $47,920 | $48,430 | 402,930 |
| Motorboat OperatorsSOC 53-5022 | $47,520 | $56,270 | 2,480 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsSOC 53-7051 | $46,420 | $48,370 | 774,420 |
| Transportation Workers, All OtherSOC 53-6099 | $45,650 | $50,890 | 13,550 |
| Light Truck DriversSOC 53-3033 | $44,860 | $48,770 | 983,300 |
| Conveyor Operators and TendersSOC 53-7011 | $42,420 | $45,080 | 22,930 |
| Taxi DriversSOC 53-3054 | $42,100 | $49,930 | 41,050 |
| Material Moving Workers, All OtherSOC 53-7199 | $41,800 | $45,640 | 23,480 |
| Machine Feeders and OffbearersSOC 53-7063 | $41,220 | $43,660 | 42,330 |
| Aircraft Service AttendantsSOC 53-6032 | $40,450 | $43,330 | 31,300 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandSOC 53-7062 | $40,240 | $42,260 | 2,950,280 |
| Driver/Sales WorkersSOC 53-3031 | $38,770 | $40,730 | 409,180 |
| Passenger AttendantsSOC 53-6061 | $37,720 | $37,820 | 27,110 |
| Stockers and Order FillersSOC 53-7065 | $37,330 | $39,540 | 2,833,810 |
| Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursSOC 53-3053 | $37,290 | $39,880 | 248,530 |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All OtherSOC 53-3099 | $37,180 | $42,430 | 46,880 |
| Packers and Packagers, HandSOC 53-7064 | $36,280 | $37,540 | 559,820 |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentSOC 53-7061 | $35,830 | $36,980 | 380,430 |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsSOC 53-6031 | $35,670 | $36,780 | 102,010 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical TechniciansSOC 53-3011 | $35,450 | $36,210 | 12,630 |
| Parking AttendantsSOC 53-6021 | $35,150 | $34,990 | 137,880 |
Suppressed BLS cells are shown as “—”, never estimated. Click any occupation for its full salary breakdown and national rank.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest-paying transportation and material moving job in the US?
- Among Transportation and Material Moving occupations, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers have the highest published national median wage at $232,140 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025).
- How many people work in transportation and material moving jobs in the US?
- About 13,677,170 US workers are employed across the 50 occupations in the Transportation and Material Moving field (SOC 53), summing the published BLS OEWS May 2025 employment estimates for each member occupation.
- What jobs are in the transportation and material moving field?
- The Transportation and Material Moving field is SOC major group 53. It includes occupations such as Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Commercial Pilots, Ship Engineers, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, and 45 more. Every occupation whose 6-digit SOC code starts with 53 belongs to this field.
- Where does this transportation and material moving salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—".
Compare other occupational fields
Find transportation and material moving jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which transportation and material moving roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC major group 53 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Grouped by official US SOC 2018 major group and published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All occupational fields