Transportation and Material Moving Salaries

The BLS classifies 50 detailed occupations in this group, all with a published median. Across the whole group the BLS reports a median of $44,350 a year and about 13.68 million jobs.

Occupations50

Group median$44,350

Total employment13.68 million

Highest median$232,140

The spread inside the group runs from $35,150 for Parking Attendants to $232,140 for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. Ranking occupations by median is the fastest way to see which roles the market pays most within this field.

All transportation and material moving occupations by median pay

Medians are annual, from the BLS May 2025 national estimates. Employment shows the number of jobs in each occupation.

Transportation and Material Moving occupations by median annual pay, May 2025
Occupation	Median pay	Employment
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$232,140	103,560
Air Traffic Controllers	$148,080	22,510
Commercial Pilots	$123,220	47,630
Ship Engineers	$109,530	8,400
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	$92,460	36,850
Transportation Inspectors	$92,100	24,500
Subway and Streetcar Operators	$86,380	10,200
Locomotive Engineers	$81,410	33,470
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters	$78,000	46,440
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators	$77,320	3,510
Wellhead Pumpers	$69,960	17,990
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers	$68,840	12,400
Crane and Tower Operators	$68,080	42,890
Flight Attendants	$63,580	131,650
First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$62,890	623,640
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers	$61,770	9,780
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers	$60,600	3,920
Traffic Technicians	$59,090	7,860
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	$59,050	159,240
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders	$58,870	10,700
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$58,640	2,062,040
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$58,170	9,760
Bridge and Lock Tenders	$57,700	3,040
Airfield Operations Specialists	$56,850	15,190
Hoist and Winch Operators	$56,450	2,600
Rail Transportation Workers, All Other	$56,360	1,120
Sailors and Marine Oilers	$51,520	31,670
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	$49,690	147,240
Dredge Operators	$49,640	1,040
Bus Drivers, School	$47,920	402,930
Motorboat Operators	$47,520	2,480
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	$46,420	774,420
Transportation Workers, All Other	$45,650	13,550
Light Truck Drivers	$44,860	983,300
Conveyor Operators and Tenders	$42,420	22,930
Taxi Drivers	$42,100	41,050
Material Moving Workers, All Other	$41,800	23,480
Machine Feeders and Offbearers	$41,220	42,330
Aircraft Service Attendants	$40,450	31,300
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$40,240	2,950,280
Driver/Sales Workers	$38,770	409,180
Passenger Attendants	$37,720	27,110
Stockers and Order Fillers	$37,330	2,833,810
Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs	$37,290	248,530
Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other	$37,180	46,880
Packers and Packagers, Hand	$36,280	559,820
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment	$35,830	380,430
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants	$35,670	102,010
Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians	$35,450	12,630
Parking Attendants	$35,150	137,880

How to read this table

A high median can reflect scarce skills, union coverage, licensing requirements or simply a small, senior workforce. A low median can reflect part-time schedules or a large entry-level tier. Neither is a verdict on the work itself.

Employment matters as much as pay when comparing occupations: a role with 500,000 jobs and a $44,350 median offers far more openings than a niche role paying twice as much.

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