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Materials handling equipment operator demographics and statistics in the US

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Materials handling equipment operator demographics by:

Materials handling equipment operator gender statistics

10.3% of materials handling equipment operators are women and 89.7% of materials handling equipment operators are men.
  • Male, 89.7%
  • Female, 10.3%

Materials handling equipment operator gender ratio

GenderPercentages
Male89.7%
Female10.3%

Materials handling equipment operator gender pay gap

Women earn 99¢ for every $1 earned by men

male-income
Male income
$34,787
female-income
Female income
$34,371

Materials handling equipment operator gender ratio over time

This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in materials handling equipment operator positions over time. Currently, 10.3% of materials handling equipment operators are female.
Male
Female
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Materials handling equipment operator gender ratio by year

YearMaleFemale
201089.84%10.16%
201189.53%10.47%
201290.90%9.10%
201391.13%8.87%
201490.58%9.42%
201591.74%8.26%
201690.91%9.09%
201789.56%10.44%
201889.40%10.60%
201990.38%9.62%
202089.20%10.80%
202189.69%10.31%

Materials handling equipment operator related jobs gender ratio

We compared materials handling equipment operators with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, dredge operator and tower crane operator have the biggest gender ratio gaps.

Job titleMaleFemale
Gift Wrapper12%88%
Gift Packer18%82%
Pill Packer19%81%
Materials Handling Equipment Operator90%10%
Green Chain Operator99%1%
Tower Crane Operator99%1%
Dredge Operator99%1%
Male
Female

Materials handling equipment operator demographics by race

The most common ethnicity among materials handling equipment operators is White, which makes up 59.3% of all materials handling equipment operators. Comparatively, 17.1% of materials handling equipment operators are Hispanic or Latino and 15.5% of materials handling equipment operators are Black or African American.
  • White, 59.3%
  • Hispanic or Latino, 17.1%
  • Black or African American, 15.5%
  • Unknown, 4.5%
  • Asian, 2.7%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%

Materials handling equipment operator race

Materials handling equipment operator racePercentages
White59.3%
Hispanic or Latino17.1%
Black or African American15.5%
Unknown4.5%
Asian2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%

Materials handling equipment operator race and ethnicity over time

See how materials handling equipment operator racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.

Materials handling equipment operator race and ethnicity by year

YearWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or Latino
201064.05%15.72%2.61%14.91%
201162.78%15.68%2.58%16.40%
201263.44%15.41%2.51%15.93%
201363.06%15.11%2.69%16.30%
201462.98%14.95%2.94%16.13%
201564.44%13.67%2.57%16.56%
201661.89%16.51%2.47%16.37%
201763.43%14.47%2.65%16.62%
201861.94%15.15%3.09%16.73%
201964.87%13.78%2.73%15.49%
202059.66%15.80%3.00%15.93%
202159.30%15.50%2.71%17.11%

Materials handling equipment operator wage gap by race

According to our data, asian materials handling equipment operators have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american materials handling equipment operators have the lowest average salary at $33,891.
$36,000
$35,000
$34,000
$33,000
Unknown
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
EthnicitySalary
Unknown$34,844
White$34,816
Black or African American$33,891
Asian$35,735
Hispanic or Latino$34,673

Average materials handling equipment operator age

See how the average age of materials handling equipment operators varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female

Materials handling equipment operator age by race and gender

RaceMale ageFemale age
Black or African American4437
Unknown4044
Asian42.5
Hispanic or Latino4242
White4549.5
American Indian and Alaska Native34

Materials handling equipment operator age breakdown

The average age of materials handling equipment operators is 40+ years years old, representing 60% of the materials handling equipment operator population.

40+ years

30-40 years

20-30 years


Materials handling equipment operator age breakdown

Materials Handling Equipment Operator YearsPercentages
40+ years60%
30-40 years24%
20-30 years17%

Materials handling equipment operator educational attainment

The most common degree for materials handling equipment operators is high school diploma, with 49% of materials handling equipment operators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • High School Diploma, 49%
  • Associate, 22%
  • Bachelor's, 13%
  • Diploma, 12%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

Materials handling equipment operators by degree level

Materials handling equipment operator degreePercentages
High School Diploma49%
Associate22%
Bachelor's13%
Diploma12%
Other Degrees4%

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Materials handling equipment operator wage gap by degree level

According to the data, materials handling equipment operators with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $35,692 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, materials handling equipment operators earn a median annual income of $34,878 compared to $34,804 for materials handling equipment operators with an Bachelor's degree.
$36,000
$35,000
$34,000
High School Diploma or Less
Bachelor's Degree
Some College/ Associate Degree
EducationSalary
High School Diploma or Less$34,878
Bachelor's Degree$34,804
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,692

Materials handling equipment operator employment statistics

Most materials handling equipment operators work for a private in the manufacturing industry.

Company size where materials handling equipment operators work

Below, you can see the size of companies where materials handling equipment operators work.

< 50 employees

50 - 100 employees

100 - 500 employees

500 - 1,000 employees

1,000 - 10,000 employees

> 10,000

Materials handling equipment operator jobs by employer size

Company sizePercentages
< 50 employees4%
50 - 100 employees9%
100 - 500 employees16%
500 - 1,000 employees7%
1,000 - 10,000 employees27%
> 10,000 employees37%

Materials handling equipment operator jobs by company type

Employees with the materials handling equipment operator job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most materials handling equipment operators prefer to work at private companies over public companies.

Education

Public

Private

Government

Materials handling equipment operator jobs by sector

Company typePercentages
Education1%
Public42%
Private55%
Government2%

Materials handling equipment operator jobs by industry

The most common industries for materials handling equipment operators are manufacturing, retail and professional.

Manufacturing

Fortune 500

Retail

Professional

Construction

Materials handling equipment operator turnover and employment statistics

Materials handling equipment operator unemployment rate over time

The unemployment rate for materials handling equipment operators between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Materials handling equipment operator unemployment rate by year

YearMaterials handling equipment operator unemployment rate
201017.04%
201114.60%
201212.67%
201310.05%
20149.10%
20156.72%
20166.89%
20175.99%
20185.33%
20194.81%
20207.22%
20216.71%

Average materials handling equipment operator tenure

The average materials handling equipment operator stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 534 materials handling equipment operators resumes in Zippia's database.

Less than one year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years

11+ years

Materials handling equipment operator tenure statistics

Number of yearsPercentages
Less than 1 year20%
1-2 years32%
3-4 years16%
5-7 years16%
8-10 years7%
11+ years9%

Materials handling equipment operator LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs

Review the percent of materials handling equipment operators that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
Job titleLGBTJob openings
Power Crane Operator1.94%27,955
Materials Handling Equipment Operator3.85%-
Recyclable Materials Sorter4.13%22,110
Washer4.59%37,789
Box Car Loader4.67%15,670
Bottle Packer6.68%16,085
Dry Chain Worker10.43%31,005

Similar materials handling equipment operator jobs LGBT demographics

ProfessionPercentages of LGBT Job openings
Power Crane Operator1.94%27,955
Recyclable Materials Sorter4.13%22,110
Washer4.59%37,789
Box Car Loader4.67%15,670
Bottle Packer6.68%16,085
Dry Chain Worker10.43%31,005

Foreign languages spoken by materials handling equipment operators

  • Spanish, 75.0%
  • Portuguese, 25.0%

Materials handling equipment operator languages spoken

Foreign languagePercentages
Spanish75.0%
Portuguese25.0%

Materials handling equipment operator jobs

Materials handling equipment operator location demographics

Which city has the most Materials Handling Equipment Operators?

By looking through more than 534 resumes, we found that the most popular places for materials handling equipment operators are Memphis, TN and Edgewood, MD.
Number of Materials Handling Equipment Operators

Materials handling equipment operator jobs by state

RankStateNumber of jobsAverage salary
1California2,413$37,203
2Texas1,711$30,562
3Massachusetts1,616$37,536
4Pennsylvania1,311$32,999
5Georgia1,159$32,536
6New Jersey1,118$35,440
7Florida1,099$29,579
8North Carolina1,006$27,980
9Illinois986$39,031
10Ohio976$40,354
11Tennessee885$30,370
12Indiana791$35,699
13New York695$40,560
14Wisconsin613$36,654
15Virginia601$31,563
16South Carolina562$31,898
17Michigan543$35,233
18Minnesota512$35,680
19Washington510$35,884
20Iowa454$36,225
21Missouri448$34,870
22Maryland431$38,988
23Colorado421$39,806
24Arizona419$36,757
25Kentucky417$31,778
26Utah386$35,358
27Oregon350$35,856
28Alabama343$30,041
29Kansas312$34,095
30Mississippi303$32,322
31Oklahoma245$30,738
32Arkansas228$37,236
33Nebraska225$39,535
34Louisiana202$31,127
35Rhode Island194$37,059
36Montana187$35,570
37Nevada182$36,564
38Idaho173$34,664
39New Hampshire167$33,568
40Hawaii161$37,898
41Connecticut152$35,503
42District of Columbia151$38,668
43Alaska139$37,807
44New Mexico127$34,233
45West Virginia121$32,659
46Maine109$34,991
47Vermont85$32,295
48Delaware80$35,106
49North Dakota75$41,481
50South Dakota74$36,123
51Wyoming34$37,920

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