Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary

What Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand earn across the United States and in the largest metro areas — the official BLS OEWS May 2025 figures.

National wages — United States

Nationally, BLS estimates 2,950,280 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs — 1.9% of all US employment. The national median wage is $40,240 a year ($19.35 an hour) and the mean is $42,260 a year, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026.

Wage level	Hourly	Annual
Mean	$20.32	$42,260
10th percentile	$15.03	$31,270
25th percentile	$17.35	$36,090
Median (50th percentile)	$19.35	$40,240
75th percentile	$22.56	$46,920
90th percentile	$26.51	$55,140

Median pay by metro area

Metro area	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment	vs US median
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$48,400	$23.27	30,710	+20.3%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$47,740	$22.95	29,490	+18.6%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$47,320	$22.75	36,700	+17.6%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$46,290	$22.25	19,340	+15.0%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$46,100	$22.17	18,640	+14.6%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$46,060	$22.15	69,820	+14.5%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$45,600	$21.92	24,030	+13.3%
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$44,950	$21.61	56,420	+11.7%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$43,460	$20.89	51,100	+8.0%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$43,320	$20.83	21,950	+7.7%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$43,290	$20.81	118,290	+7.6%
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$43,250	$20.79	28,350	+7.5%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$42,590	$20.47	28,510	+5.8%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$42,390	$20.38	120,720	+5.3%
St. Louis, MO-IL	$41,780	$20.09	21,340	+3.8%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$40,550	$19.50	157,920	+0.8%
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$40,330	$19.39	34,030	+0.2%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$39,020	$18.76	78,460	-3.0%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$38,850	$18.68	40,540	-3.5%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$38,630	$18.57	24,080	-4.0%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$38,580	$18.55	48,860	-4.1%
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$38,530	$18.53	13,900	-4.2%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$38,510	$18.52	81,940	-4.3%
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$38,000	$18.27	52,520	-5.6%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$37,570	$18.06	22,610	-6.6%

Each metro page carries the full OEWS wage distribution, the employment figures, and the estimated take-home pay on that metro's median under 2026 tax rules.

Sources

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. Take-home estimates are computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 rules.