48-49/Transportation and Warehousing
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
6.55M
employees, 2023
6.55M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 291,155 US Transportation and Warehousing business locations employed 6.55 million people and paid $402.0 billion in annual payroll, $61,391 per employee on average. Employment was up 7.2% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
291,155
-1.1% vs 2022
Employees
6,548,924
+7.2% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$402.0B
+16.4% vs 2022
Average pay
$61,391
+8.5% 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 Transportation and Warehousing 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 | 39,439 | 788,706 | $68,198 | 4.81% |
| Texas | 25,135 | 650,795 | $64,806 | 5.42% |
| Florida | 20,621 | 376,370 | $60,386 | 3.77% |
| Illinois | 20,586 | 349,235 | $59,171 | 6.17% |
| Georgia | 9,385 | 319,353 | $63,200 | 7.25% |
| New York | 14,547 | 289,221 | $63,550 | 3.30% |
| Pennsylvania | 10,553 | 287,814 | $54,991 | 5.04% |
| Ohio | 8,988 | 263,527 | $57,413 | 5.19% |
| New Jersey | 9,202 | 237,710 | $63,197 | 6.03% |
| Tennessee | 5,285 | 188,529 | $56,846 | 6.34% |
| North Carolina | 7,782 | 181,260 | $54,236 | 4.24% |
| Indiana | 6,449 | 157,996 | $58,464 | 5.40% |
| Michigan | 8,049 | 148,972 | $62,994 | 3.69% |
| Virginia | 5,999 | 137,923 | $60,557 | 3.85% |
| Kentucky | 3,215 | 133,203 | $67,078 | 7.80% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Transportation and Warehousing employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 17,567 | 376,494 | $68,041 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 17,514 | 284,408 | $60,332 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 6,217 | 264,835 | $67,637 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 14,641 | 251,580 | $68,632 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,775 | 221,772 | $69,892 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 6,216 | 171,199 | $53,247 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 5,889 | 156,677 | $69,675 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 7,889 | 135,877 | $68,375 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,723 | 126,850 | $54,117 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,979 | 108,819 | $68,703 |
| Columbus, OH | 1,771 | 93,843 | $54,940 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 3,385 | 91,052 | $90,348 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,405 | 84,935 | $70,318 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 2,190 | 80,508 | $73,717 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 3,097 | 80,496 | $62,709 |
Business size
US Transportation and Warehousing business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 181,988 | 62.5% |
| 5 to 9 | 34,842 | 12.0% |
| 10 to 19 | 28,256 | 9.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 24,098 | 8.3% |
| 50 to 99 | 10,779 | 3.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 7,263 | 2.5% |
| 250 to 499 | 2,180 | 0.7% |
| 500 to 999 | 1,026 | 0.4% |
| 1,000 or more | 723 | 0.2% |
Related industries
Transportation and Warehousing and the 11 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 484 | Truck Transportation | 1,693,228 | $61,111 |
| 493 | Warehousing and Storage | 1,648,638 | $51,510 |
| 492 | Couriers and Messengers | 1,185,718 | $53,395 |
| 488 | Support Activities for Transportation | 853,486 | $66,808 |
| 481 | Air Transportation | 573,362 | $104,317 |
| 485 | Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation | 458,871 | $40,323 |
| 483 | Water Transportation | 62,806 | $108,243 |
| 486 | Pipeline Transportation | 45,688* | $148,648 |
| 487 | Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation | 27,127 | $52,034 |
| 482 | Rail Transportation | Not yet published | - |
| 491 | Postal Service | Not yet published | - |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Transportation and Warehousing in the US?
6.55 million people worked at 291,155 US Transportation and Warehousing business locations in 2023, up 7.2% from 2022. That is 4.68% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Transportation and Warehousing?
$61,391 a year per employee in 2023, from $402.0 billion in annual payroll (up 8.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Transportation and Warehousing jobs?
California had the most, with 788,706 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (650,795) and Florida (376,370).
Which metro areas have the most Transportation and Warehousing jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (376,494), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (284,408), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (264,835) had the most Transportation and Warehousing employees in 2023.
Are most Transportation and Warehousing businesses small?
84.2% of the 291,155 Transportation and Warehousing business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 1,749 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.