488/Support Activities for Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
853K
employees, 2023
853K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 49,494 US Support Activities for Transportation business locations employed 853,486 people and paid $57.0 billion in annual payroll, $66,808 per employee on average. Employment was up 2.6% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
49,494
-1.1% vs 2022
Employees
853,486
+2.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$57.0B
+4.6% vs 2022
Average pay
$66,808
+1.9% 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 Support Activities for 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7,044 | 121,841 | $75,456 | 0.74% |
| Texas | 5,497 | 107,464 | $62,089 | 0.89% |
| Florida | 5,077 | 76,022 | $56,954 | 0.76% |
| Illinois | 2,613 | 48,189 | $67,835 | 0.85% |
| Georgia | 1,766 | 37,349 | $61,848 | 0.85% |
| New York | 2,549 | 36,816 | $68,443 | 0.42% |
| New Jersey | 1,574 | 32,151 | $85,735 | 0.81% |
| Ohio | 1,354 | 26,561 | $68,138 | 0.52% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,378 | 26,472 | $61,274 | 0.46% |
| Washington | 1,205 | 22,980 | $81,520 | 0.75% |
| North Carolina | 1,224 | 19,664 | $59,575 | 0.46% |
| Michigan | 1,207 | 19,423 | $62,294 | 0.48% |
| Virginia | 1,069 | 19,207 | $77,808 | 0.54% |
| Tennessee | 889 | 17,343 | $67,083 | 0.58% |
| Kentucky | 539 | 17,282 | $60,707 | 1.01% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Support Activities for Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 3,192 | 53,307 | $79,332 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,272 | 52,835 | $67,863 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2,218 | 41,533 | $69,173 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,246 | 39,474 | $67,019 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 2,645 | 39,409 | $58,107 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,460 | 28,059 | $68,635 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,124 | 23,714 | $65,935 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 767 | 17,326 | $65,925 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 749 | 15,432 | $72,122 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 711 | 14,502 | $78,521 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 831 | 11,629 | $54,192 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 579 | 11,263 | $67,885 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 340 | 10,627 | $70,705 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 559 | 10,342 | $80,217 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 664 | 10,321 | $62,197 |
Business size
US Support Activities for Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 27,061 | 54.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 8,789 | 17.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 6,118 | 12.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 4,440 | 9.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,555 | 3.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 1,086 | 2.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 289 | 0.6% |
| 500 to 999 | 117 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 39 | 0.1% |
Related industries
Support Activities for Transportation and the 6 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4885 | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 324,765 | $76,333 |
| 4881 | Support Activities for Air Transportation | 245,625 | $53,140 |
| 4884 | Support Activities for Road Transportation | 109,993 | $49,297 |
| 4883 | Support Activities for Water Transportation | 101,459 | $88,635 |
| 4882 | Support Activities for Rail Transportation | 49,372 | $67,688 |
| 4889 | Other Support Activities for Transportation | 22,272 | $63,751 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Support Activities for Transportation in the US?
853,486 people worked at 49,494 US Support Activities for Transportation business locations in 2023, up 2.6% from 2022. That is 0.61% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Support Activities for Transportation?
$66,808 a year per employee in 2023, from $57.0 billion in annual payroll (up 1.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Support Activities for Transportation jobs?
California had the most, with 121,841 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (107,464) and Florida (76,022).
Which metro areas have the most Support Activities for Transportation jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (53,307), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (52,835), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (41,533) had the most Support Activities for Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Support Activities for Transportation businesses small?
84.8% of the 49,494 Support Activities for Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 156 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.