Transportation Occupations

Broad Occupation

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2020 Workforce

5.65M

Average Age

45.4

Average Salary

$46,773

Average Male Salary

$49,203

Average Female Salary

$32,491

About

Transportation Occupations are most often employed by the Truck transportation industry. The average yearly wage for Transportation Occupations was $46,773 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Transportation Occupations by wage are Community & Social Service Occupations, Education, Training, & Library Occupations, and Construction & Extraction Occupations.

Transportation Occupations are part of the Transportation & Material Moving Occupations, along with Transportation Occupations and Material Moving Occupations.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Transportation Occupations are Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, Queens Village, Cambria Heights & Rosedale PUMA, NY, and Elizabeth City PUMA, NJ. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Transportation Occupations are Elizabeth City PUMA, NJ, Hialeah City (North Central) PUMA, FL, and Clayton County (South) PUMA, GA.

Photo by micagoto

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Transportation Occupations and on wages and locations for those in the field. Truck transportation is the industry that employs the most Transportation Occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Transportation Occupations, by average wage, is Business, professional, political, & similar organizations. Transportation Occupations are paid most in Wellington Village & Agricultural Reserve PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Elizabeth City PUMA, NJ.

Yearly Wage

$46,773

AVERAGE SALARY

± $480

In 2020, Transportation Occupations earned an average of $46,773, $9,181 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Education, Training, & Library Occupations make somewhat more than Transportation Occupations while Community & Social Service Occupations make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Transportation Occupations as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.399

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Transportation Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.399, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Transportation Occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Transportation Occupations.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Transportation Occupations

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Transportation Occupations.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Transportation Occupations, by number of employees, are Truck transportation, Bus service & urban transit, Taxi & limousine service, Air transportation, Services incidental to transportation, Elementary & secondary schools, Couriers & messengers, Restaurants & Food Services, Construction, Waste management & remediation services, and Grocery & related product merchant wholesalers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Transportation Occupations, by average wage, are Business, professional, political, & similar organizations, Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, and Air transportation.

Industries by Share

5.65M

2020 Workforce

± 57,238

0.669%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.43%

The number of people employed as Transportation Occupations has been growing at a rate of 0.669%, from 5,613,183 people in 2019 to 5,650,741 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Transportation Occupations employed by various industries. Truck transportation employs the largest share of Transportation Occupations at 21.1%, followed by Bus service & urban transit with 6.34% and Taxi & limousine service with 5.68%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Transportation Occupations in the US. The average age of male Transportation Occupations in the workforce is 45.4 and of female Transportation Occupations is 45.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Transportation Occupations is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

4.83M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 53,066

822k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 22,193

85.5% of Transportation Occupations are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Transportation Occupations.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Transportation Occupations

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

57.2% of Transportation Occupations are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 17.3% of Transportation Occupations, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Transportation Occupations.

Age by Sex

45.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.16

45.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.379

The median age of Transportation Occupations is 45.4, and Male employees are generally 0.188 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Transportation Occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Transportation Occupations is Business but a relatively high number of Transportation Occupations hold a major in Transportation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Transportation Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Transportation Occupations need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Transportation Occupations need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Operation Monitoring, and Troubleshooting.