Conveyor Operators and Tenders Salary: $44,936 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 26,060 conveyor operators and tenders nationally earn a mean of $44,936. Projections imply about 1.0% annual decline; much hiring sits in transportation and warehousing.
Key Statistics
Conveyor Operators and Tenders: what the data shows
Common questions about conveyor operators and tenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a conveyor operators and tenders?
Conveyor Operators and Tenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-7011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 26,060 workers.
What does a conveyor operators and tenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a conveyor operators and tenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $41,230 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $44,936 — 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 | $39,487 |
| 25th percentile | $40,470 |
| Median (50th) | $42,673 |
| 75th percentile | $48,614 |
| 90th percentile | $55,241 |
What education do you need?
For Conveyor Operators and Tenders, 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, Monitoring, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is conveyor operators and tenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -5.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -9.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 26,060.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do conveyor operators and tenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 26,060 | 20.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 26,030 | 20.8% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 12,140 | 9.7% |
| Couriers and Express Delivery Services | 10,550 | 8.4% |
| Couriers and Messengers | 10,550 | 8.4% |
| Manufacturing | 5,900 | 4.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Conveyor Operators and Tenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Conveyor Operators and Tenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
26,060 Workforce in 2023
The Conveyor Operators and Tenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$44,936 Average Wage
In 2023, Conveyor Operators and Tenders earned an average of $44,936.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Salary distribution for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
11,743 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -5.0%
11,157 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -9.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Conveyor Operators and Tenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Conveyor Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
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:
- CA: 3,480 employees, $43,870 avg wage
- TX: 1,910 employees, $41,450 avg wage
- KY: 1,530 employees, $58,860 avg wage
- KS: 1,040 employees, $42,870 avg wage
- NE: 1,030 employees, $40,910 avg wage
- VA: 960 employees, $43,270 avg wage
- MI: 820 employees, $51,800 avg wage
- FL: 810 employees, $38,030 avg wage
- GA: 790 employees, $41,250 avg wage
- NC: 760 employees, $38,680 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,340 employees, $43,460 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 740 employees, $42,010 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 670 employees, $44,500 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 600 employees, $40,100 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 430 employees, $45,750 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 360 employees, $44,360 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 350 employees, $44,500 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 340 employees, $46,280 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 320 employees, $45,830 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 310 employees, $47,770 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Conveyor Operators and Tenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Conveyor Operators and Tenders in 2023 was 26,060 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
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 Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Conveyor Operators and Tenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Conveyor Operators and Tenders workers.
Education level distribution for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Skills
Conveyor Operators and Tenders need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Conveyor Operators and Tenders include English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Conveyor Operators and Tenders include Control Precision, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
Daily Activities
Conveyor Operators and Tenders spend their time on activities such as Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes.
Most important work activities for Conveyor Operators and Tenders.
About
Conveyor Operators and Tenders
The average yearly wage for Conveyor Operators and Tenders was $44,936 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-7011 - Conveyor Operators and Tenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Conveyor Operators and Tenders reports an average salary of $44,936.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 26,060 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.0%, 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.