483211/Inland Water Freight Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
18K
employees, 2023
18K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 393 US Inland Water Freight Transportation business locations employed 17,758 people and paid $1.7 billion in annual payroll, $96,389 per employee on average. Employment was up 9.4% from 2022. Louisiana had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
393
+2.9% vs 2022
Employees
17,758
+9.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.7B
+15.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$96,389
+5.1% 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 Inland Water Freight Transportation 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 137 | 5,849 | $90,118 | 0.34% |
| Kentucky | 17 | 3,145 | $88,779 | 0.18% |
| Texas | 35 | 2,093 | $124,255 | 0.02% |
| Indiana | 8 | 1,928* | $98,329 | 0.07% |
| Mississippi | 5 | 951 | $100,661 | 0.10% |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 812* | $87,213 | 0.01% |
| Illinois | 17 | 626 | $102,021 | 0.01% |
| Tennessee | 10 | 500 | $114,752 | 0.02% |
| Missouri | 9 | 322 | $61,714 | 0.01% |
| Alabama | 5 | 313* | $108,812 | 0.02% |
| Washington | 6 | 256* | $123,641 | 0.01% |
| Virginia | 10 | 162 | $94,747 | 0.00% |
| Florida | 38 | 97* | $81,804 | 0.00% |
| New York | 13 | 90 | $84,522 | 0.00% |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 76* | $78,592 | 0.00% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 24.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Inland Water Freight Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 60 | 2,831* | $86,793 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 12 | 2,503 | $92,159 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 18 | 2,048 | $124,754 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 22 | 1,277 | $71,605 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 19 | 1,269 | $118,751 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 9 | 808* | $86,812 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 14 | 527 | $67,896 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 3 | 283* | $116,951 |
| Lafayette, LA | 4 | 221 | $76,462 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 4 | 141* | $117,177 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 17 | 91* | $84,132 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 5 | 89 | $128,146 |
| Morgan City, LA | 6 | 72 | $89,833 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4 | 41 | $57,341 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 19 | 35 | $104,886 |
Business size
US Inland Water Freight Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 223 | 56.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 52 | 13.2% |
| 10 to 19 | 32 | 8.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 30 | 7.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 16 | 4.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 22 | 5.6% |
| 250 to 499 | 10 | 2.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 5 | 1.3% |
| 1,000 or more | 3 | 0.8% |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Water Transportation 483Inland Water Transportation 4832Inland Water Transportation 48321
Questions and answers
How many people work in Inland Water Freight Transportation in the US?
17,758 people worked at 393 US Inland Water Freight Transportation business locations in 2023, up 9.4% from 2022. That is 0.01% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Inland Water Freight Transportation?
$96,389 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.7 billion in annual payroll (up 5.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Inland Water Freight Transportation jobs?
Louisiana had the most, with 5,849 employees in 2023, followed by Kentucky (3,145) and Texas (2,093).
Which metro areas have the most Inland Water Freight Transportation jobs?
New Orleans-Metairie, LA (2,831), Paducah, KY-IL (2,503), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (2,048) had the most Inland Water Freight Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Inland Water Freight Transportation businesses small?
78.1% of the 393 Inland Water Freight Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 8 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. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.