Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
California employs 1,489,210 Transportation & Material Moving professionals across 43 occupations. Explore salary ranges, top paying jobs, and career opportunities within the Transportation & Material Moving industry.
The best-compensated occupations within Transportation & Material Moving in California, based on median salary data.
Complete breakdown of all occupations in the Transportation & Material Moving industry in California, sorted by median salary (highest to lowest). Click any job title for state-specific salary details.
| # | Job Title | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $353,900 | $310,190 | 10,670 | $170/hr |
| 2 | Commercial Pilots | $165,590 | $202,040 | 4,900 | $79/hr |
| 3 | Air Traffic Controllers | $160,080 | $156,910 | 2,290 | $76/hr |
| 4 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $110,090 | $129,580 | 2,420 | $52/hr |
| 5 | Ship Engineers | $97,660 | $117,530 | 610 | $46/hr |
| 6 | Transportation Inspectors | $83,000 | $88,500 | 1,790 | $39/hr |
| 7 | Flight Attendants | $82,170 | $83,000 | 15,840 | $39/hr |
| 8 | Crane and Tower Operators | $79,570 | $87,030 | 2,130 | $38/hr |
| 9 | Traffic Technicians | $79,110 | $75,890 | 1,250 | $38/hr |
| 10 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | $78,680 | $74,720 | 900 | $37/hr |
| 11 | Locomotive Engineers | $77,070 | $75,600 | 1,570 | $37/hr |
| 12 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | $72,390 | $68,070 | 80 | $34/hr |
| 13 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | $69,950 | $76,110 | 1,500 | $33/hr |
| 14 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | $68,600 | $74,570 | 110 | $32/hr |
| 15 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | $67,160 | $66,450 | 190 | $32/hr |
| 16 | Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | $67,130 | $66,930 | 24,380 | $32/hr |
| 17 | First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $65,550 | $69,340 | 67,920 | $31/hr |
| 18 | Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | $64,890 | $66,300 | 13,930 | $31/hr |
| 19 | Wellhead Pumpers | $64,430 | $65,580 | 160 | $30/hr |
| 20 | Airfield Operations Specialists | $62,600 | $73,180 | 1,660 | $30/hr |
| 21 | Bus Drivers, School | $61,040 | $60,520 | 16,600 | $29/hr |
| 22 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $60,530 | $70,860 | 1,490 | $29/hr |
| 23 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $60,230 | $62,020 | 205,090 | $28/hr |
| 24 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $58,770 | $61,530 | 1,340 | $28/hr |
| 25 | Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | $57,660 | $60,560 | 1,220 | $27/hr |
| 26 | Sailors and Marine Oilers | $55,180 | $55,750 | 1,680 | $26/hr |
| 27 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $47,770 | $50,360 | 89,620 | $22/hr |
| 28 | Aircraft Service Attendants | $46,800 | $52,980 | 2,300 | $22/hr |
| 29 | Light Truck Drivers | $46,790 | $53,310 | 111,950 | $22/hr |
| 30 | Driver/Sales Workers | $45,600 | $48,220 | 34,480 | $21/hr |
| 31 | Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | $44,730 | $46,500 | 29,940 | $21/hr |
| 32 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $44,710 | $45,590 | 355,500 | $21/hr |
| 33 | Passenger Attendants | $43,340 | $44,840 | 2,810 | $20/hr |
| 34 | Conveyor Operators and Tenders | $43,150 | $44,950 | 2,460 | $20/hr |
| 35 | Stockers and Order Fillers | $42,870 | $43,440 | 310,870 | $20/hr |
| 36 | Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | $41,770 | $42,940 | 10,190 | $20/hr |
| 37 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | $40,380 | $44,290 | 4,830 | $19/hr |
| 38 | Taxi Drivers | $39,260 | $39,080 | 3,880 | $18/hr |
| 39 | Parking Attendants | $38,060 | $41,330 | 21,290 | $18/hr |
| 40 | Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | $37,920 | $41,020 | 46,030 | $18/hr |
| 41 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | $37,260 | $40,010 | 79,730 | $17/hr |
| 42 | Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | $36,150 | $38,680 | 1,420 | $17/hr |
| 43 | Motorboat Operators | $34,570 | $53,260 | 190 | $16/hr |
Explore salary data and job opportunities in other industries across California:
California has 43 Transportation & Material Moving occupations with 1,489,210 total employed workers (2025 BLS data).
The highest-paying Transportation & Material Moving occupation in California is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers with a median salary of $353,900/year.
The average median salary across 43 Transportation & Material Moving occupations in California is $70,562/year.
Salaries in Transportation & Material Moving in California range from $34,320 (entry-level) to $500,170 (senior) across all occupations.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes organize jobs into groups. Transportation & Material Moving occupations use SOC prefix 53. Data comes from BLS OEWS.
Data: BLS OEWS 2025. Salary figures represent May 2025 compensation for occupations classified under SOC code 53* in California. Percentile ranges (P10–P90) reflect the lowest and highest earning 10% of workers. Our Methodology · Data Sources