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Job outlook for van drivers in the United States
Van driver job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected van driver job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 90,900 new jobs for van drivers are projected over the next decade.
Van driver salaries have increased 14% for van drivers in the last 5 years.
There are over 64,694 van drivers currently employed in the United States.
There are 791,293 active van driver job openings in the US.
The average van driver salary is $36,254.
Are van driver jobs in demand?
Van driver job and salary trends over time
Van driver jobs over time
Van driver job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64,694 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 61,101 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 63,086 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 61,190 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 59,416 | 0.02% |
Average van driver salary over time
Van driver salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $36,254 | $17.43 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $34,815 | $16.74 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | $33,600 | $16.15 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | $32,677 | $15.71 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | $31,800 | $15.29 | +2.7% |
Van driver jobs by state
Most common states for van drivers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 3,614 | 199% |
| 2 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 5,630 | 193% |
| 3 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 5,498 | 175% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 1,654 | 172% |
| 5 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 19,141 | 164% |
| 6 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 13,692 | 162% |
| 7 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 7,151 | 161% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 20,432 | 160% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 2,884 | 150% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 7,366 | 147% |
| 11 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 9,709 | 146% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 8,597 | 141% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 17,176 | 134% |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 5,011 | 127% |
| 15 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 3,437 | 115% |
| 16 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 7,679 | 114% |
| 17 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 5,060 | 108% |
| 18 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 5,237 | 107% |
| 19 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 2,155 | 103% |
| 20 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 5,554 | 100% |
Most common cities for van drivers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milton | 5 | 19% | $40,296 |
| 2 | Norwood | 5 | 17% | $40,397 |
| 3 | Covington | 6 | 15% | $38,428 |
| 4 | Quincy | 5 | 5% | $40,266 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 11 | 4% | $35,174 |
| 6 | Boston | 13 | 2% | $40,180 |
| 7 | Greensboro | 7 | 2% | $41,365 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 9 | 1% | $39,017 |
| 9 | Milwaukee | 7 | 1% | $32,255 |
| 10 | Austin | 6 | 1% | $36,599 |
| 11 | Columbus | 6 | 1% | $35,601 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 6 | 1% | $41,306 |
| 13 | Jacksonville | 6 | 1% | $32,315 |
| 14 | Atlanta | 5 | 1% | $43,246 |
| 15 | Chicago | 9 | 0% | $36,817 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 7 | 0% | $35,528 |
| 17 | Houston | 5 | 0% | $36,481 |
| 18 | New York | 5 | 0% | $44,340 |
Van Driver job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of van driver experts
CVTA
NAPFTDS
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Van Driver job market given the pandemic?
Don Lefeve: The market for commercial drivers should remain strong for the foreseeable future due to older driver retirements, tight capacity, and the increase of home delivery of goods resulting from COVID. COVID has resulted in fewer commercial drivers being produced in 2020, compared to 2019. It is important to note that Class A Commercial Driver's License is as much of a requirement to drive large commercial trucks as it is an excellent safety credential for those who may not drive commercial trucks.
The biggest trend currently is tight capacity. What this means is there are too few drivers willing to move goods at the requested price. This means shippers need to pay more to move goods, which in turn, results in trucking companies charging more and driver pay rises. Pay has been rising, and commercial driving is a solid foundation for a career in trucking.
How do you envision technology impacting Van Drivers in the next 5 years?
Martin Garsee: Technology has changed every aspect of the industry in the last few years. Many of the systems that are on trucks make them much safer.
Collision mitigation systems, Blind spot alerts, cameras inside and outside the cab, lane departure warnings, these are currently offered on the truck of today. We see these systems getting better, which makes the driver a safer driver.