Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Salary: $51,912 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 805,770 industrial truck and tractor operators nationally earn a mean of $51,912. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.4% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about industrial truck and tractor operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a industrial truck and tractor operators?
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-7051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 805,770 workers.
What does a industrial truck and tractor operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a industrial truck and tractor operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $46,390 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $51,912 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,395 |
| 25th percentile | $44,650 |
| Median (50th) | $49,904 |
| 75th percentile | $59,697 |
| 90th percentile | $62,903 |
What education do you need?
For Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators, 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 Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Coordination, Equipment Maintenance, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Mathematics, English Language, Production and Processing, Transportation. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is industrial truck and tractor operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 12.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 26.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 805,770.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do industrial truck and tractor operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 805,770 | 19.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 801,930 | 19.6% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 391,620 | 9.6% |
| Warehousing and Storage | 322,590 | 7.9% |
| Warehousing and Storage | 322,590 | 7.9% |
| Manufacturing | 179,250 | 4.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
805,770 Workforce in 2023
The Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$51,912 Average Wage
In 2023, Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators earned an average of $51,912.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Salary distribution for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
458,921 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.4%
516,045 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 26.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 106,350 employees, $45,200 avg wage
- CA: 103,090 employees, $50,680 avg wage
- GA: 53,020 employees, $45,800 avg wage
- PA: 46,220 employees, $49,210 avg wage
- OH: 37,440 employees, $48,240 avg wage
- FL: 32,390 employees, $47,970 avg wage
- IL: 28,510 employees, $48,040 avg wage
- IN: 27,890 employees, $46,710 avg wage
- NC: 25,640 employees, $43,340 avg wage
- MI: 25,120 employees, $48,930 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 44,250 employees, $47,460 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 35,270 employees, $51,750 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 31,350 employees, $48,170 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 23,910 employees, $45,750 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 22,630 employees, $52,800 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 22,370 employees, $47,900 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 22,040 employees, $49,140 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 15,540 employees, $52,220 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 12,200 employees, $48,460 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 11,600 employees, $51,550 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in 2023 was 805,770 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
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 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Skills
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Coordination, Equipment Maintenance.
Required skills for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators include Mathematics, English Language, Production and Processing, Transportation, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators include Control Precision, Multilimb Coordination, Far Vision, Response Orientation, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
Daily Activities
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators.
About
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
The average yearly wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators was $51,912 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-7051 - Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators reports an average salary of $51,912.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 805,770 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.4%, 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.