Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
Kentucky employs 223,020 Transportation & Material Moving professionals across 37 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 Kentucky, based on median salary data.
Complete breakdown of all occupations in the Transportation & Material Moving industry in Kentucky, 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 | $350,950 | $302,340 | 6,260 | $168/hr |
| 2 | Commercial Pilots | $129,990 | $168,100 | 800 | $62/hr |
| 3 | Air Traffic Controllers | $127,800 | $121,910 | 230 | $61/hr |
| 4 | Airfield Operations Specialists | $123,290 | $108,820 | 290 | $59/hr |
| 5 | Ship Engineers | $120,550 | $114,730 | N/A | $57/hr |
| 6 | Transportation Inspectors | $83,970 | $85,350 | 260 | $40/hr |
| 7 | Locomotive Engineers | $77,620 | $83,310 | 540 | $37/hr |
| 8 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | $62,070 | $71,390 | 110 | $29/hr |
| 9 | Crane and Tower Operators | $62,000 | $63,750 | 640 | $29/hr |
| 10 | First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $60,090 | $63,480 | 10,180 | $28/hr |
| 11 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | $58,220 | $58,200 | 100 | $27/hr |
| 12 | Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $56,410 | $58,440 | 170 | $27/hr |
| 13 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $56,340 | $59,870 | 31,760 | $27/hr |
| 14 | Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | $54,550 | $49,790 | 2,570 | $26/hr |
| 15 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | $53,160 | $61,480 | 130 | $25/hr |
| 16 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $52,530 | $48,520 | 1,010 | $25/hr |
| 17 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | $52,380 | $50,230 | 110 | $25/hr |
| 18 | Sailors and Marine Oilers | $47,460 | $48,720 | 1,470 | $22/hr |
| 19 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $46,630 | $49,630 | 11,270 | $22/hr |
| 20 | Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | $46,600 | $52,130 | 40 | $22/hr |
| 21 | Bus Drivers, School | $44,830 | $46,600 | 6,820 | $21/hr |
| 22 | Passenger Attendants | $44,810 | $42,950 | N/A | $21/hr |
| 23 | Conveyor Operators and Tenders | $44,800 | $47,810 | 780 | $21/hr |
| 24 | Light Truck Drivers | $43,230 | $48,880 | 15,630 | $20/hr |
| 25 | Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | $43,100 | $42,710 | 1,580 | $20/hr |
| 26 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $42,770 | $41,960 | 57,930 | $20/hr |
| 27 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | $42,200 | $45,470 | 980 | $20/hr |
| 28 | Aircraft Service Attendants | $38,850 | $43,650 | 400 | $18/hr |
| 29 | Driver/Sales Workers | $37,030 | $38,330 | 6,140 | $17/hr |
| 30 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | $36,850 | $38,810 | 5,900 | $17/hr |
| 31 | Stockers and Order Fillers | $36,810 | $39,480 | 47,730 | $17/hr |
| 32 | Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | $34,470 | $36,050 | 5,580 | $16/hr |
| 33 | Taxi Drivers | $33,850 | $34,240 | 150 | $16/hr |
| 34 | Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | $33,580 | $34,460 | 2,630 | $16/hr |
| 35 | Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | $32,850 | $32,940 | 130 | $15/hr |
| 36 | Parking Attendants | $31,630 | $31,810 | 1,480 | $15/hr |
| 37 | Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | $31,410 | $31,140 | 1,220 | $15/hr |
Explore salary data and job opportunities in other industries across Kentucky:
Kentucky has 37 Transportation & Material Moving occupations with 223,020 total employed workers (2025 BLS data).
The highest-paying Transportation & Material Moving occupation in Kentucky is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers with a median salary of $350,950/year.
The average median salary across 37 Transportation & Material Moving occupations in Kentucky is $64,208/year.
Salaries in Transportation & Material Moving in Kentucky range from $20,800 (entry-level) to $407,760 (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 Kentucky. Percentile ranges (P10–P90) reflect the lowest and highest earning 10% of workers. Our Methodology · Data Sources