Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators pay in the United States

Goes furthest in District of Columbia
·Transportation and Material Moving·
774k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$22.32/hr median
774,420 employed
+2% to 2035
27% AI exposure
No formal educational credential
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.

Where the money actually goes furthest

District of Columbia pays the most both before and after cost of living — $83,720, worth $76,178 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
District of Columbia$40.25/hr$83,720$76,178$79,444Not published
New Mexico$29.88/hr$62,150$67,400$60,2172,620
Wyoming$28.76/hr$59,820$64,537$59,820790
Delaware$29.02/hr$60,350$60,464$57,5675,230
Louisiana$23.54/hr$48,950$55,492$47,8567,680
North Dakota$23.68/hr$49,260$55,373$49,260930
Iowa$22.88/hr$47,590$54,227$46,3367,770
South Dakota$22.79/hr$47,410$53,516$47,4101,940
Alaska$26.05/hr$54,190$52,940$54,190410
Kansas$22.80/hr$47,430$52,659$45,0717,700
New Hampshire$26.19/hr$54,460$52,279$54,4601,450
Nebraska$22.46/hr$46,730$51,864$45,2085,020
Kentucky$22.42/hr$46,630$51,719$44,89111,270
Oklahoma$21.49/hr$44,700$50,887$43,0667,850
Montana$23.10/hr$48,060$50,776$46,339910
Wisconsin$22.94/hr$47,720$50,712$46,28812,150
Alabama$21.58/hr$44,880$50,529$42,82615,360
Minnesota$23.91/hr$49,740$50,436$47,8217,110
Arkansas$21.05/hr$43,780$50,356$42,24910,850
Ohio$22.33/hr$46,450$50,070$45,88942,360
Mississippi$20.88/hr$43,420$49,936$41,6109,640
Missouri$21.73/hr$45,190$49,757$43,92211,470
Utah$23.58/hr$49,040$49,605$46,8086,830
Maine$22.95/hr$47,730$49,180$45,7482,900
Oregon$24.40/hr$50,760$49,109$46,8598,560
Colorado$24.31/hr$50,570$49,073$49,0418,570
Pennsylvania$22.95/hr$47,730$48,918$46,26442,110
Indiana$21.95/hr$45,650$48,912$44,31023,090
Idaho$22.40/hr$46,600$48,800$44,9042,560
Hawaii$25.79/hr$53,640$48,785$51,006880
Vermont$22.78/hr$47,380$48,366$46,027950
Arizona$23.13/hr$48,110$47,785$47,27212,340
Illinois$22.94/hr$47,720$47,739$45,49529,450
Michigan$21.74/hr$45,220$46,996$43,53623,470
Texas$21.85/hr$45,450$46,826$45,45088,780
Florida$23.25/hr$48,370$46,774$48,37038,400
Washington$24.00/hr$49,910$46,640$49,91018,750
South Carolina$21.00/hr$43,680$46,592$42,55414,210
West Virginia$20.03/hr$41,670$46,558$40,4301,400
Virginia$22.56/hr$46,920$46,409$44,96819,320
North Carolina$20.88/hr$43,420$46,029$42,11626,830
Tennessee$20.24/hr$42,100$45,825$42,10020,070
Connecticut$22.69/hr$47,190$45,545$45,3163,780
New York$23.57/hr$49,030$45,431$46,93818,420
Nevada$21.75/hr$45,230$45,239$45,2307,300
Georgia$20.78/hr$43,210$44,874$41,59050,260
Massachusetts$22.52/hr$46,850$44,298$44,5078,390
Rhode Island$21.64/hr$45,010$44,006$43,717780
Maryland$21.94/hr$45,630$43,473$43,64313,740
California$22.97/hr$47,770$43,144$46,65889,620
New Jersey$22.16/hr$46,100$42,367$45,04521,790
Puerto Rico$17.35/hr$36,090Not publishedNot published3,450
Virgin Islands$16.94/hr$35,230Not publishedNot published60
Guam$16.76/hr$34,870Not publishedNot published60

National median for comparison: $46,420. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$46,420/year

$22.32/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$26,750$83,720

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

27%Low exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods broadly agree.

Method 1 — ability mix39%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content14%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by +2% between 2025 and 2035, with about 64,700 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Move levers or controls that operate lifting devices, such as forklifts, lift beams with swivel-hooks, hoists, or elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport, or stack material.
  • Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.
  • Manually or mechanically load or unload materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles.
  • Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.
  • Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.
  • Weigh materials or products and record weight or other production data on tags or labels.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where industrial truck and tractor operators move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by Connor Scott McManus.