484/Truck Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
1.69M
employees, 2023
1.69M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 170,286 US Truck Transportation business locations employed 1.69 million people and paid $103.5 billion in annual payroll, $61,111 per employee on average. Employment was down 2.2% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
170,286
-2.4% vs 2022
Employees
1,693,228
-2.2% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$103.5B
+2.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$61,111
+4.3% 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 Truck 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 14,177 | 166,894 | $62,861 | 1.39% |
| California | 24,075 | 159,689 | $60,270 | 0.97% |
| Illinois | 15,020 | 86,658 | $63,561 | 1.53% |
| Ohio | 5,444 | 73,687 | $62,262 | 1.45% |
| Pennsylvania | 6,299 | 71,958 | $63,741 | 1.26% |
| Florida | 10,129 | 68,707 | $56,192 | 0.69% |
| Georgia | 5,525 | 66,826 | $58,853 | 1.52% |
| Tennessee | 2,768 | 65,211 | $59,495 | 2.19% |
| Indiana | 4,388 | 56,379 | $62,184 | 1.93% |
| Wisconsin | 3,913 | 52,779 | $64,953 | 2.00% |
| North Carolina | 4,948 | 51,859 | $57,212 | 1.21% |
| Michigan | 5,216 | 50,402 | $61,807 | 1.25% |
| New York | 5,850 | 47,971 | $58,769 | 0.55% |
| New Jersey | 4,868 | 45,566 | $60,881 | 1.16% |
| Missouri | 3,531 | 42,098 | $58,203 | 1.60% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Truck Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 12,968 | 66,947 | $63,781 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 7,626 | 59,265 | $58,101 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,420 | 52,352 | $61,973 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 8,285 | 50,665 | $60,672 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,346 | 38,378 | $59,437 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 4,134 | 34,249 | $60,228 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 3,072 | 31,356 | $65,628 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,564 | 29,333 | $59,950 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 3,041 | 23,610 | $60,735 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2,662 | 22,296 | $60,099 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 840 | 20,132 | $57,689 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 1,371 | 19,519 | $63,105 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,721 | 18,737 | $57,877 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,549 | 18,737 | $63,547 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 1,330 | 17,292 | $59,080 |
Business size
US Truck Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 123,520 | 72.5% |
| 5 to 9 | 16,849 | 9.9% |
| 10 to 19 | 13,044 | 7.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 10,370 | 6.1% |
| 50 to 99 | 3,832 | 2.3% |
| 100 to 249 | 1,992 | 1.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 478 | 0.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 150 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 51 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Truck Transportation and the 2 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4841 | General Freight Trucking | 1,185,495 | $60,514 |
| 4842 | Specialized Freight Trucking | 507,733 | $62,503 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Truck Transportation in the US?
1.69 million people worked at 170,286 US Truck Transportation business locations in 2023, down 2.2% from 2022. That is 1.21% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Truck Transportation?
$61,111 a year per employee in 2023, from $103.5 billion in annual payroll (up 4.3% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Truck Transportation jobs?
Texas had the most, with 166,894 employees in 2023, followed by California (159,689) and Illinois (86,658).
Which metro areas have the most Truck Transportation jobs?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (66,947), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (59,265), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (52,352) had the most Truck Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Truck Transportation businesses small?
90.1% of the 170,286 Truck Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 201 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.