Freight and Material Movers salary in the US
What do hand laborers and freight movers actually earn, and how does that change with age, education and location? These figures come straight from Census survey microdata.
How much do hand laborers and freight movers earn?
The typical (median) annual earnings for hand laborers and freight movers come to $33,583, which is 36% less than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. It places 140th of 171 on median earnings — part of the bottom quarter, where part-time schedules are common. Behind these numbers are 93,282 survey records — a large enough sample to break the results down further below.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $67,211 |
| Top 25% start at | $48,276 |
| Median (top 50%) | $33,583 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $19,493 |
How wide is the pay range?
There is meaningful room above the median: $48,276 marks the top quarter and $67,211 the top tenth (2.0× the median). The bottom quarter earned under $19,493; that group includes people who worked part of the year or reduced hours, since every earner is counted. That leaves a 1.7-to-1 ratio between the median and the 25th percentile.
Earnings by age
Seniority keeps paying off: the median reaches its high point of $37,781 only in the 55–64 band, up 24% from age 25–34. Among those 65 and older who still work, the median is $24,578, 35% below the peak — reduced schedules explain much of that.
Men and women
Men's median earnings are $35,797 and women's are $28,935, so women's median is 19% lower. Women make up roughly 24% of the survey records here (an unweighted count, so treat it as approximate). Differences in hours, specialty and seniority account for part of any gap, which the survey doesn't separate out.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $35,797 | 70,940 |
| Women | $28,935 | 22,342 |
Does education change the pay?
Education shifts pay modestly here: medians range from $30,004 (a professional degree) to $36,731 (a doctorate). The most common credential in the sample is a high school education or less, with 58,896 records. Thin cells (under 100 records) aren't shown.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $33,516 | 58,896 |
| Some college / associate | $35,682 | 26,094 |
| Bachelor's | $33,411 | 6,783 |
| Master's | $32,218 | 1,174 |
| Professional degree | $30,004 | 225 |
| Doctorate | $36,731 | 110 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois contribute the largest numbers of survey records for this job. The state medians range from $31,484 in Texas up to $37,046 in Pennsylvania. These are nominal dollars — living costs differ just as much between states and aren't adjusted for. 50 states have enough records (100+) for their own figure.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $33,516 | 10,632 |
| Texas | $31,484 | 6,938 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,046 | 6,033 |
| Ohio | $35,797 | 5,118 |
| Illinois | $35,750 | 4,473 |
Occupations with similar pay
For comparison, these jobs have medians within a few thousand dollars: first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers ($33,503), nursing assistants ($33,198), retail salespersons ($32,743), and receptionists and information clerks ($32,218). The jobs differ in training and working conditions; matching medians just means the typical paycheck is comparable.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors Of Food Preparation And Serving Workers | $33,503 | 0% |
| Nursing Assistants | $33,198 | −1% |
| Retail Salespersons | $32,743 | −3% |
| Receptionists | $32,218 | −4% |
| Artists And Related Workers | $35,534 | +6% |
About these figures
How to read these numbers: they are annual personal earnings (wages plus self-employment income) for people aged 25+ who reported working as hand laborers and freight movers, pooled over 2020–2024 and adjusted to 2024 dollars. Part-time and part-year workers are included. Every group shown has at least 100 survey records; 93,282 records sit behind the headline median.
See where your pay ranks among hand laborers and freight movers
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.