Best-Paying Jobs in Transportation and Warehousing (May 2025 BLS Wage Data)
- The median wage across all jobs in transportation and warehousing was $52,170 in May 2025, above the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The sector employed about 7,448,640 wage and salary workers.
- Its best-paid large occupation was airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, at a median of $290,600.
Pay depends on what you do and on who you do it for. This breakdown uses the BLS OEWS industry data, May 2025 (NAICS sector 48-49: Transportation and Warehousing) to show which jobs pay best in transportation and warehousing, which jobs are open to people without a four-year degree, and what the most common jobs pay. Education levels come from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Highest-paying jobs in the sector
Occupations with at least 5,000 jobs in the sector, ranked by median annual wage. The last column is the median for the same job across all industries (from the national cross-industry estimates).
| Occupation | Sector median | Jobs in sector | All-industry median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $290,600 | 99,320 | $232,140 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,790 | 8,120 | $175,140 |
| Marketing Managers | $160,330 | 5,140 | $166,790 |
| Financial Managers | $157,620 | 9,290 | $166,570 |
| Software Developers | $147,010 | 18,020 | $135,980 |
| Human Resources Managers | $132,200 | 5,800 | $149,280 |
| Sales Managers | $131,290 | 12,490 | $148,270 |
| Commercial Pilots | $130,330 | 25,270 | $123,220 |
| Facilities Managers | $121,340 | 6,700 | $106,660 |
| Project Management Specialists | $115,490 | 11,390 | $102,320 |
Best-paying jobs here without a bachelor’s degree
Occupations where BLS lists a high school diploma, certificate, some college or an associate’s degree as typical for entry:
| Occupation | Sector median | Jobs in sector | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pilots | $130,330 | 25,270 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Ship Engineers | $115,100 | 5,680 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $103,100 | 71,070 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $97,290 | 6,300 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Postmasters and Mail Superintendents | $96,660 | 13,810 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $95,710 | 28,200 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $94,610 | 39,000 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | $93,830 | 6,700 | High school diploma or equivalent |
The most common jobs in the sector
| Occupation | Median | Jobs | Share of sector jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $60,030 | 1,187,590 | 15.94% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $44,930 | 983,490 | 13.2% |
| Light Truck Drivers | $47,600 | 476,090 | 6.39% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $44,700 | 472,970 | 6.35% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $48,080 | 356,690 | 4.79% |
| Postal Service Mail Carriers | $60,550 | 328,820 | 4.41% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $69,820 | 212,120 | 2.85% |
| Bus Drivers, School | $50,020 | 147,850 | 1.98% |
What this means for your pay
- Same job, different industry, different pay. Compare the sector median with the all-industry median for your job. If your sector pays below the national figure, the same skills may earn more elsewhere.
- Medians, not starting pay. Half of workers earn more than the median and half less; new hires usually start lower.
- Base wages only. OEWS excludes overtime, tips and most bonuses, so jobs with heavy overtime often pay more in practice.
Published October 28, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
For contrast, from the same survey: the lowest-paid occupation in this sector with at least 20,000 jobs was school bus monitors, at a median of $35,520 ($17.08 an hour) across 37,190 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS industry data, May 2025.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk