48412/General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
901K
employees, 2023
901K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 70,879 US General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance business locations employed 901,394 people and paid $57.0 billion in annual payroll, $63,258 per employee on average. Employment was down 0.6% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
70,879
-4.9% vs 2022
Employees
901,394
-0.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$57.0B
+1.9% vs 2022
Average pay
$63,258
+2.5% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 7,055 | 88,328 | $62,028 | 0.74% |
| California | 8,851 | 71,438 | $61,113 | 0.44% |
| Illinois | 7,664 | 50,743 | $67,058 | 0.90% |
| Tennessee | 1,394 | 49,262 | $60,075 | 1.66% |
| Georgia | 2,655 | 40,440 | $62,590 | 0.92% |
| Pennsylvania | 2,571 | 39,162 | $67,113 | 0.69% |
| Ohio | 2,259 | 38,501 | $66,003 | 0.76% |
| Indiana | 2,020 | 34,223 | $62,239 | 1.17% |
| Wisconsin | 1,721 | 34,078 | $67,308 | 1.29% |
| Florida | 4,376 | 31,570 | $60,071 | 0.32% |
| North Carolina | 2,227 | 30,926 | $61,655 | 0.72% |
| Arkansas | 752 | 27,972 | $65,537 | 2.50% |
| Iowa | 1,035 | 26,918 | $57,490 | 1.90% |
| Michigan | 2,456 | 25,674 | $62,368 | 0.64% |
| Missouri | 1,581 | 22,775 | $61,395 | 0.87% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 7,040 | 38,691 | $67,106 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,843 | 32,575 | $64,502 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,706 | 25,326 | $64,379 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,110 | 21,706 | $61,025 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2,667 | 20,439 | $60,040 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 1,651 | 20,087 | $61,377 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 597 | 17,234 | $61,854 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 391 | 14,958 | $56,175 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 122 | 13,758 | $67,130 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,566 | 13,642 | $61,854 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 723 | 13,343 | $63,504 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 370 | 13,188 | $62,480 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,532 | 13,098 | $61,298 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 842 | 12,359 | $61,354 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 560 | 11,499 | $67,467 |
Business size
US General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 52,910 | 74.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 5,508 | 7.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 4,571 | 6.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 4,200 | 5.9% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,941 | 2.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 1,237 | 1.7% |
| 250 to 499 | 351 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 122 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 39 | 0.1% |
Related industries
General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance and the 2 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Truck Transportation 484General Freight Trucking 4841
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 484121 | General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload | 613,274 | $61,117 |
| 484122 | General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Less Than Truckload | 288,120 | $67,815 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance in the US?
901,394 people worked at 70,879 US General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance business locations in 2023, down 0.6% from 2022. That is 0.64% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance?
$63,258 a year per employee in 2023, from $57.0 billion in annual payroll (up 2.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance jobs?
Texas had the most, with 88,328 employees in 2023, followed by California (71,438) and Illinois (50,743).
Which metro areas have the most General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance jobs?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (38,691), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (32,575), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (25,326) had the most General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance employees in 2023.
Are most General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance businesses small?
88.9% of the 70,879 General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 161 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.