How to read this: BLS does not track movers as their own occupation. These figures cover "Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand" (SOC 53-7062), which counts moving work alongside related roles, so read them as the band rather than the exact number.
The average mover in the United States earns $42,260 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $40,240. That works out at about $20.32 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Alaska averages $50,550 and Louisiana $35,720. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a mover actually does for that money
Movers are counted as laborers and freight, stock and material movers, an enormous occupation dominated by warehouse work rather than by household moving. Household movers earn tips and overtime that warehouse workers do not, so the real figure for a mover sits above this one.
What movers earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $31,270 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $36,090 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $40,240 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $46,920 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $55,140 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Moving salary by state
Alaska pays the most at $50,550 a year, and Louisiana the least at $35,720. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $50,550 | $44,510 | $24.31 | 4,250 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $49,250 | $45,740 | $23.68 | 1,200 |
| 3 | Washington | $47,680 | $46,190 | $22.92 | 49,450 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $47,640 | $44,120 | $22.91 | 9,490 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $46,920 | $46,280 | $22.56 | 54,480 |
| 6 | New York | $46,200 | $44,630 | $22.21 | 100,950 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $45,910 | $45,690 | $22.07 | 9,990 |
| 8 | Colorado | $45,860 | $45,370 | $22.05 | 31,140 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $45,760 | $44,920 | $22.00 | 34,700 |
| 10 | Oregon | $45,740 | $44,750 | $21.99 | 27,720 |
| 11 | California | $45,590 | $44,710 | $21.92 | 355,500 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $44,320 | $43,640 | $21.31 | 23,970 |
| 13 | Arizona | $44,190 | $44,290 | $21.25 | 71,090 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $44,080 | $44,610 | $21.19 | 70,520 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $43,710 | $41,690 | $21.01 | 6,760 |
| 16 | Iowa | $43,520 | $43,490 | $20.92 | 30,890 |
| 17 | Nevada | $43,190 | $39,350 | $20.77 | 40,850 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $43,130 | $42,480 | $20.74 | 131,050 |
| 19 | Maine | $43,040 | $42,640 | $20.69 | 6,120 |
| 20 | Maryland | $42,990 | $41,600 | $20.67 | 47,710 |
| 21 | Illinois | $42,960 | $40,550 | $20.66 | 195,390 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $42,850 | $42,910 | $20.60 | 13,870 |
| 23 | Utah | $42,720 | $42,370 | $20.54 | 29,670 |
| 24 | Montana | $42,680 | $43,840 | $20.52 | 3,870 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $42,540 | $39,540 | $20.45 | 97,230 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $42,530 | $42,110 | $20.45 | 8,340 |
| 27 | Virginia | $42,330 | $39,380 | $20.35 | 58,000 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $41,960 | $42,770 | $20.17 | 57,930 |
| 29 | Indiana | $41,850 | $41,340 | $20.12 | 103,200 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $41,360 | $38,330 | $19.88 | 2,700 |
| 31 | Kansas | $41,310 | $40,250 | $19.86 | 23,270 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $41,290 | $38,980 | $19.85 | 3,820 |
| 33 | Michigan | $41,230 | $38,860 | $19.82 | 79,410 |
| 34 | Missouri | $41,190 | $39,080 | $19.80 | 43,050 |
| 35 | Ohio | $41,000 | $39,460 | $19.71 | 108,830 |
| 36 | Vermont | $40,930 | $39,390 | $19.68 | 3,060 |
| 37 | Idaho | $40,810 | $39,900 | $19.62 | 15,610 |
| 38 | Georgia | $40,450 | $38,480 | $19.45 | 137,580 |
| 39 | Florida | $40,260 | $38,160 | $19.36 | 164,400 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $40,020 | $38,160 | $19.24 | 105,870 |
| 41 | Delaware | $39,740 | $37,320 | $19.11 | 5,220 |
| 42 | Texas | $39,400 | $37,540 | $18.94 | 216,970 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $39,390 | $38,230 | $18.94 | 116,720 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $39,140 | $37,530 | $18.82 | 56,700 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $38,990 | $37,230 | $18.74 | 10,200 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $38,490 | $36,990 | $18.50 | 11,300 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $37,790 | $36,990 | $18.17 | 38,210 |
| 48 | Alabama | $37,480 | $36,670 | $18.02 | 36,140 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $37,170 | $36,400 | $17.87 | 30,750 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $36,730 | $35,920 | $17.66 | 21,430 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $35,720 | $35,340 | $17.17 | 43,730 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying movers the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $51,280 | $24.66 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $50,920 | $24.48 |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | $50,030 | $24.05 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,650 | $23.87 |
| 5 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $49,320 | $23.71 |
| 6 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $49,280 | $23.69 |
| 7 | Kenosha, WI | $48,700 | $23.42 |
| 8 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $48,640 | $23.39 |
| 9 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $48,270 | $23.21 |
| 10 | Modesto, CA | $48,140 | $23.15 |
What moves the number
- Interstate movers need USDOT and FMCSA authority, and many states license intrastate movers separately. Operating without it is the fastest way to lose the business.
- Ferociously seasonal, with summer and month ends carrying most of the year. Crews earn a large share of annual income in about four months.
- Long-haul, corporate relocation and specialty moves such as pianos, art and laboratory equipment all pay well above local residential moves.
- The bottom ten percent of movers earn under $31,270 and the top ten percent clear $55,140. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed movers on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a mover wage and an owner income opens up.
Moving salary FAQs
- How much do movers make a year?
- The median mover in the United States earns $40,240 a year and the average is $42,260, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do movers make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $20.32. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays movers the most?
- Alaska pays the most at an average of $50,550 a year, followed by District of Columbia at $49,250 and Washington at $47,680. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay movers the most?
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA tops the list at an average of $51,280 a year, with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $50,920. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can movers earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $55,140. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed movers?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this moving salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand" (SOC 53-7062). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
