Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of forklift driver salary by state for the United States:
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Alaska has the highest forklift driver salary of $43,069
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New Mexico has the lowest forklift driver salary of $26,121
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The national average salary for forklift drivers is $33,476
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The national hourly pay for forklift drivers is $16.09
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do forklift drivers get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for forklift driver by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for forklift drivers after this adjustment? That would be Alaska.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for forklift driver salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Forklift Drivers By State
| Rank | State | Average Forklift Driver Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $43,069 | $36,000 | $51,000 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $42,539 | $33,000 | $53,000 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $38,789 | $30,000 | $49,000 |
| 4 | Washington | $37,877 | $30,000 | $47,000 |
| 5 | Montana | $37,495 | $29,000 | $47,000 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $36,999 | $28,000 | $47,000 |
| 7 | Oregon | $36,787 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $36,688 | $28,000 | $47,000 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $36,516 | $29,000 | $45,000 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $36,290 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $36,226 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 12 | Colorado | $36,075 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 13 | Nevada | $35,375 | $27,000 | $45,000 |
| 14 | Utah | $35,188 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 15 | California | $35,052 | $26,000 | $45,000 |
| 16 | Maine | $34,752 | $27,000 | $43,000 |
| 17 | Illinois | $34,394 | $26,000 | $44,000 |
| 18 | Idaho | $34,116 | $26,000 | $43,000 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $33,681 | $26,000 | $43,000 |
| 20 | Vermont | $33,582 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $33,417 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $33,312 | $25,000 | $43,000 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $33,299 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 24 | Iowa | $33,257 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 25 | New York | $33,074 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 26 | Ohio | $32,933 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 27 | Maryland | $32,926 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 28 | Michigan | $32,629 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 29 | Indiana | $32,398 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $32,222 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $32,184 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 32 | Kansas | $32,177 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 33 | Delaware | $32,086 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 34 | Missouri | $31,969 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $31,709 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 36 | Connecticut | $31,119 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 37 | Arizona | $31,045 | $23,000 | $40,000 |
| 38 | Virginia | $30,811 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $30,450 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 40 | Texas | $29,534 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 41 | Georgia | $29,533 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 42 | Florida | $29,452 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $29,290 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $28,958 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $28,824 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $28,337 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $28,298 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $27,440 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 49 | Alabama | $26,516 | $20,000 | $34,000 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $26,121 | $20,000 | $33,000 |
Methodology: Forklift Driver Salary By State
To better understand forklift driver pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for forklift drivers by state.
We took the average annual salary data for forklift drivers from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for forklift drivers.
Forklift Driver Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for forklift drivers?
The highest-paid state for forklift drivers is Alaska with an average salary of $43,069 per year.
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What city pays forklift drivers the most?
Shakopee, MN pays forklift drivers the most with an average salary of $38,737 per year.
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What is the worst state for forklift drivers?
The worst state for forklift drivers is New Mexico with an average salary of $26,121 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
