Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays industrial truck and tractor operators the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $83,720. After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest, at $76,178 in US-average prices.

Q: What education do industrial truck and tractor operators need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links one program here to industrial truck and tractor operators: Truck Driving and Equipment Operation (Certificate).

774,420 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: no formal educational credential
Occupation code 53-7051

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Industrial truck and tractor operators earn a median of $46,420 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($83,720) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($36,090). After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest ($76,178) and New Jersey lowest ($42,369). Jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 64,700 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$46,420US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$36,840US

Top 10% earn over$62,520US

Projected job growth2%2025 to 2035, about 64,700 openings a year

Pay for industrial truck and tractor operators by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$83,720	$76,178	Not reported	$57,050	$83,720
2	New Mexico	$62,150	$67,399	2,620	$35,900	$65,090
3	Delaware	$60,350	$60,466	5,230	$38,210	$60,350
4	Wyoming	$59,820	$64,537	790	$38,220	$74,160
5	New Hampshire	$54,460	$52,282	1,450	$40,600	$62,750
6	Alaska	$54,190	$52,941	410	$37,650	$72,720
7	Hawaii	$53,640	$48,785	880	$41,140	$118,140
8	Oregon	$50,760	$49,109	8,560	$40,410	$63,150
9	Colorado	$50,570	$49,072	8,570	$40,560	$65,630
10	Washington	$49,910	$46,639	18,750	$41,600	$62,920
11	Minnesota	$49,740	$50,436	7,110	$39,940	$73,870
12	North Dakota	$49,260	$55,374	930	$40,720	$62,700
13	Utah	$49,040	$49,603	6,830	$38,270	$65,760
14	New York	$49,030	$45,431	18,420	$38,330	$73,630
15	Louisiana	$48,950	$55,494	7,680	$35,980	$61,230
16	Florida	$48,370	$46,773	38,400	$37,050	$62,960
17	Arizona	$48,110	$47,786	12,340	$38,560	$62,940
18	Montana	$48,060	$50,779	910	$36,450	$64,970
19	California	$47,770	$43,145	89,620	$38,650	$63,330
20	Maine	$47,730	$49,181	2,900	$40,440	$64,490
20	Pennsylvania	$47,730	$48,918	42,110	$38,160	$62,510
22	Illinois	$47,720	$47,740	29,450	$37,990	$63,140
22	Wisconsin	$47,720	$50,715	12,150	$38,960	$62,940
24	Iowa	$47,590	$54,226	7,770	$38,640	$61,000
25	Kansas	$47,430	$52,660	7,700	$37,910	$58,640
26	South Dakota	$47,410	$53,519	1,940	$37,780	$61,080
27	Vermont	$47,380	$48,368	950	$39,040	$61,290
28	Connecticut	$47,190	$45,546	3,780	$38,790	$71,860
29	Virginia	$46,920	$46,408	19,320	$37,250	$62,260
30	Massachusetts	$46,850	$44,300	8,390	$39,850	$57,410
31	Nebraska	$46,730	$51,863	5,020	$37,020	$59,100
32	Kentucky	$46,630	$51,720	11,270	$35,540	$70,840
33	Idaho	$46,600	$48,799	2,560	$36,400	$59,840
34	Ohio	$46,450	$50,068	42,360	$37,960	$63,660
35	New Jersey	$46,100	$42,369	21,790	$36,680	$65,820
36	Indiana	$45,650	$48,913	23,090	$37,250	$61,630
37	Maryland	$45,630	$43,474	13,740	$39,320	$61,040
38	Texas	$45,450	$46,828	88,780	$34,300	$59,780
39	Nevada	$45,230	$45,240	7,300	$37,560	$66,950
40	Michigan	$45,220	$46,998	23,470	$37,200	$71,150
41	Missouri	$45,190	$49,759	11,470	$36,240	$64,620
42	Rhode Island	$45,010	$44,007	780	$38,960	$58,330
43	Alabama	$44,880	$50,527	15,360	$33,290	$60,750
44	Oklahoma	$44,700	$50,886	7,850	$35,400	$60,120
45	Arkansas	$43,780	$50,358	10,850	$33,890	$57,260
46	South Carolina	$43,680	$46,592	14,210	$35,780	$56,980
47	Mississippi	$43,420	$49,935	9,640	$32,390	$51,260
47	North Carolina	$43,420	$46,032	26,830	$35,940	$56,000
49	Georgia	$43,210	$44,873	50,260	$36,690	$59,860
50	Tennessee	$42,100	$45,826	20,070	$35,520	$54,660
51	West Virginia	$41,670	$46,560	1,400	$28,700	$54,920
52	Puerto Rico	$36,090	Not available	3,450	$22,040	$72,790

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to industrial truck and tractor operators. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Truck Driving and Equipment Operation (Certificate)	75	$41,081	$7,572

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Industrial truck and tractor operators earn a median of $46,420 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $36,840, and the top 10% more than $62,520.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Pay for industrial truck and tractor operators by state

Programs that lead to this job

Common questions

How much do industrial truck and tractor operators make?

Which state pays industrial truck and tractor operators the most?

What education do industrial truck and tractor operators need?

Are jobs for industrial truck and tractor operators growing?

About this data

Sources