Packers and Packagers, Hand pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Kansas
·Transportation and Material Moving·
560k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$17.44/hr median
559,820 employed
-5% to 2035
34% AI exposure
No formal educational credential
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Kansas pays the most both before and after cost of living — $44,460, worth $49,361 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 Packers and Packagers, Hand by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Kansas$21.38/hr$44,460$49,361$42,2679,900
Nebraska$18.69/hr$38,880$43,152$37,7523,010
Iowa$18.02/hr$37,470$42,695$36,6004,090
Missouri$18.11/hr$37,670$41,477$36,7565,910
Minnesota$19.38/hr$40,310$40,874$38,9335,460
Kentucky$17.72/hr$36,850$40,871$35,5025,900
Alaska$20.04/hr$41,670$40,709$41,670560
New Jersey$21.08/hr$43,840$40,290$42,91071,260
Vermont$18.96/hr$39,440$40,261$38,353810
Indiana$17.99/hr$37,420$40,094$36,3279,690
Ohio$17.79/hr$37,000$39,883$36,69820,700
Colorado$19.58/hr$40,730$39,524$39,6194,120
Oklahoma$16.60/hr$34,520$39,298$33,3703,900
Tennessee$17.30/hr$35,980$39,164$35,98014,030
Arkansas$16.31/hr$33,930$39,026$32,7833,050
Idaho$17.75/hr$36,920$38,663$35,7372,020
Wisconsin$17.31/hr$36,010$38,267$35,13913,130
Mississippi$15.98/hr$33,240$38,228$31,8783,490
Pennsylvania$17.77/hr$36,960$37,880$35,82522,990
Maine$17.47/hr$36,330$37,434$35,0691,460
Nevada$17.98/hr$37,400$37,407$37,4003,750
Delaware$17.93/hr$37,290$37,360$35,7872,030
District of Columbia$19.67/hr$40,910$37,224$39,531170
Montana$16.81/hr$34,960$36,936$34,0031,490
Arizona$17.82/hr$37,060$36,809$36,4987,380
Michigan$16.99/hr$35,340$36,728$34,07615,590
Washington$18.86/hr$39,220$36,650$39,22011,940
Utah$17.34/hr$36,060$36,475$34,4195,740
North Carolina$16.52/hr$34,360$36,425$33,44119,600
Illinois$17.35/hr$36,090$36,104$34,44023,270
Rhode Island$17.66/hr$36,730$35,911$35,7481,830
Alabama$15.28/hr$31,770$35,768$30,3717,050
North Dakota$15.11/hr$31,440$35,341$31,440470
Oregon$17.40/hr$36,190$35,013$33,5646,370
Wyoming$15.44/hr$32,110$34,642$32,110340
Connecticut$17.25/hr$35,890$34,639$34,5244,280
Virginia$16.83/hr$35,000$34,619$33,7337,790
Georgia$15.99/hr$33,260$34,541$32,15617,380
New York$17.91/hr$37,260$34,525$35,81514,830
South Carolina$15.47/hr$32,180$34,325$31,7597,610
Maryland$17.24/hr$35,860$34,165$34,3374,230
Texas$15.91/hr$33,090$34,092$33,09046,510
California$17.91/hr$37,260$33,652$36,60879,730
Hawaii$17.28/hr$35,930$32,678$34,5582,010
South Dakota$13.83/hr$28,760$32,464$28,7601,040
Massachusetts$16.44/hr$34,200$32,337$32,49015,330
West Virginia$13.82/hr$28,740$32,111$27,9491,140
Louisiana$13.32/hr$27,710$31,413$27,2532,280
New Mexico$13.50/hr$28,070$30,441$27,7211,050
New Hampshire$14.76/hr$30,700$29,471$30,7003,300
Florida$13.60/hr$28,280$27,347$28,28038,860
Virgin Islands$11.00/hr$22,880Not publishedNot published100
Puerto Rico$10.50/hr$21,840Not publishedNot published3,840
Guam$10.11/hr$21,030Not publishedNot published240

National median for comparison: $36,280. “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.

$36,280/year

$17.44/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$20,860$47,010

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

34%Low exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods broadly agree.

Method 1 — ability mix41%

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

Method 2 — task content27%

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 -5% between 2025 and 2035, with about 61,800 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met.
  • Measure, weigh, and count products and materials.
  • Remove completed or defective products or materials, placing them on moving equipment, such as conveyors, or in specified areas, such as loading docks.
  • Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.
  • Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools.
  • Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools.

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

Where packers and packagers, hand 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 Mark Stebnicki.