Driver/Sales Workers Salary: $49,239 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 417,420 driver/sales workers nationally earn a mean of $49,239. Employment in the series shown fell about 27% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.4% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Driver/Sales Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about driver/sales workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a driver/sales workers?
Driver/Sales Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-3031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 417,420 workers.
What does a driver/sales workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a driver/sales workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,130 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $49,239 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,284 |
| 25th percentile | $37,285 |
| Median (50th) | $45,449 |
| 75th percentile | $55,374 |
| 90th percentile | $74,191 |
What education do you need?
For Driver/Sales Workers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Complex Problem Solving, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, English Language, Transportation. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is driver/sales workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.4% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -4.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 417,420.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do driver/sales workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 417,420 | 19.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 415,970 | 19.5% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 183,980 | 8.6% |
| Food Services and Drinking Places | 183,750 | 8.6% |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 179,640 | 8.4% |
| Wholesale Trade | 99,460 | 4.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Driver/Sales Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 219,010 | $84,130 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,113,160 | $47,320 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 190,600 | $56,320 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | 99,070 | $46,370 |
| Food Preparation Workers | 888,770 | $34,220 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,187,460 | $42,010 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Driver/Sales Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
417,420 Workforce in 2023
The Driver/Sales Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Driver/Sales Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$49,239 Average Wage
In 2023, Driver/Sales Workers earned an average of $49,239.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Driver/Sales Workers.
Salary distribution for Driver/Sales Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
136,788 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.1%
133,899 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -4.2%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Driver/Sales Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Driver/Sales Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Driver/Sales Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Driver/Sales Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Driver/Sales Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Driver/Sales Workers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 33,320 employees, $49,191 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Driver/Sales Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 10,850 employees, $46,763 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 4,540 employees, $52,250 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,280 employees, $45,196 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,840 employees, $52,272 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,930 employees, $51,144 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,650 employees, $46,180 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,420 employees, $54,995 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,180 employees, $59,041 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 980 employees, $52,537 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 780 employees, $46,094 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Driver/Sales Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Driver/Sales Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Driver/Sales Workers in 2023 was 417,420 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Driver/Sales Workers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Driver/Sales Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Driver/Sales Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Driver/Sales Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Marketing.
Common majors for Driver/Sales Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Driver/Sales Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Driver/Sales Workers.
Skills
Driver/Sales Workers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Driver/Sales Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Driver/Sales Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Driver/Sales Workers include Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, English Language, Transportation, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Driver/Sales Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Driver/Sales Workers include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Driver/Sales Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Driver/Sales Workers.
Daily Activities
Driver/Sales Workers spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
Most important work activities for Driver/Sales Workers.
About
Driver/Sales Workers
The average yearly wage for Driver/Sales Workers was $49,239 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-3031 - Driver/Sales Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Driver/Sales Workers reports an average salary of $49,239.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 417,420 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.