Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary: $45,346 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,982,530 laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand nationally earn a mean of $45,346. Projections imply about 2.4% annual growth; CA accounts for about 355,770 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand: what the data shows
Common questions about laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand?
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-7062.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,982,530 workers.
What does a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,940 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $45,346 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,158 |
| 25th percentile | $37,787 |
| Median (50th) | $43,697 |
| 75th percentile | $49,679 |
| 90th percentile | $57,075 |
What education do you need?
For Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, 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, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including English Language, Mathematics, Transportation, Mechanical. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 12.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 26.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,982,530.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hands work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,982,530 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 2,943,370 | 19.0% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 997,400 | 6.5% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 535,240 | 3.5% |
| Administrative and Support Services | 503,590 | 3.3% |
| Employment Services | 471,600 | 3.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,982,530 Workforce in 2023
The Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$45,346 Average Wage
In 2023, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand earned an average of $45,346.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Salary distribution for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Employment Growth Projections
2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,685,108 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.6%
1,896,675 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 26.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
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: 355,770 employees, $45,517 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 93,690 employees, $44,479 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 75,620 employees, $45,807 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 35,100 employees, $42,109 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 24,960 employees, $43,461 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 21,710 employees, $52,113 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 19,620 employees, $46,330 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 16,860 employees, $46,924 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 13,070 employees, $50,970 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 10,460 employees, $51,399 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 8,290 employees, $45,172 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Diversity
Demographic information on Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in 2023 was 2,982,530 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
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 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand workers.
Education level distribution for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Skills
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand include English Language, Mathematics, Transportation, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand include Static Strength, Multilimb Coordination, Trunk Strength, Control Precision, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Daily Activities
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand spend their time on activities such as Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Controlling Machines and Processes, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment.
Most important work activities for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
About
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
The average yearly wage for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand was $45,346 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-7062 - Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand reports an average salary of $45,346.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,982,530 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.