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Best states for a warehouse/driver
Quoted expert
Martin Garsee
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Do you want to become a warehouse/driver at UPS, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for warehouse/drivers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In order to help you decide which state is the best for warehouse/drivers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for warehouse/driver jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for warehouse/drivers. Illinois is the best state for warehouse/drivers, where the median salary is $38,748.We found that the South is best for warehouse/drivers, and the Midwest is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for warehouse/driver jobs, where as Illinois is the best state in the country.
10 best states for warehouse/drivers in 2026
1. Illinois
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 8,431 Average annual salary: $38,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
2. South Dakota
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 385 Average annual salary: $38,454 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
3. Minnesota
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 2,650 Average annual salary: $38,189 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
4. North Dakota
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 308 Average annual salary: $39,711 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
5. Oregon
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 1,487 Average annual salary: $39,374 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
6. Washington
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 2,083 Average annual salary: $40,991 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
7. Alaska
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 112 Average annual salary: $44,552 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 0.34
8. Wisconsin
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 3,456 Average annual salary: $34,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
9. Vermont
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 262 Average annual salary: $37,189 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
10. Rhode Island
Total warehouse/driver jobs: 508 Average annual salary: $35,291 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
Warehouse/driver jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a warehouse/driver
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a warehouse/driver
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $38,748 | $31,000 | 12,802,023 | 8,431 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $38,454 | $32,000 | 869,666 | 385 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $38,189 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,650 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $39,711 | $33,000 | 755,393 | 308 |
| 5 | Oregon | $39,374 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,487 |
| 6 | Washington | $40,991 | $34,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,083 |
| 7 | Alaska | $44,552 | $40,000 | 739,795 | 112 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $34,208 | $28,000 | 5,795,483 | 3,456 |
| 9 | Vermont | $37,189 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 262 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $35,291 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 508 |
| 11 | Utah | $35,290 | $29,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,233 |
| 12 | Nevada | $35,383 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 774 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $34,984 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 215 |
| 14 | Kansas | $33,858 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,490 |
| 15 | Nebraska | $35,117 | $29,000 | 1,920,076 | 732 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $37,864 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,486 |
| 17 | Colorado | $37,345 | $30,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,403 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $31,614 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 3,955 |
| 19 | Ohio | $31,038 | $25,000 | 11,658,609 | 8,605 |
| 20 | California | $37,253 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 8,454 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $34,063 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 589 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $31,987 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 7,248 |
| 23 | Missouri | $32,876 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 2,427 |
| 24 | Arizona | $34,108 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,785 |
| 25 | Delaware | $32,896 | $26,000 | 961,939 | 492 |
| 26 | Indiana | $30,819 | $25,000 | 6,666,818 | 4,818 |
| 27 | Maine | $33,154 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 424 |
| 28 | Maryland | $33,281 | $26,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,062 |
| 29 | Idaho | $32,514 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 599 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $35,974 | $31,000 | 1,427,538 | 238 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $36,141 | $28,000 | 693,972 | 252 |
| 32 | New York | $34,744 | $28,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,466 |
| 33 | Montana | $32,850 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 404 |
| 34 | Michigan | $32,993 | $26,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $30,784 | $24,000 | 10,273,419 | 4,689 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $31,052 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 1,220 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $32,041 | $25,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,758 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $32,830 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 479 |
| 39 | Iowa | $30,091 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,840 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $29,203 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 1,395 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $28,623 | $23,000 | 4,454,189 | 2,588 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $32,655 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,072 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $28,029 | $22,000 | 1,815,857 | 882 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $26,336 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 3,289 |
| 45 | Virginia | $30,481 | $24,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,348 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $26,478 | $21,000 | 3,004,279 | 1,235 |
| 47 | Texas | $30,074 | $23,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,321 |
| 48 | Alabama | $25,908 | $20,000 | 4,874,747 | 2,148 |
| 49 | Georgia | $29,024 | $23,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 50 | Florida | $25,797 | $19,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,288 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $26,582 | $21,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
Highest paying states for warehouse/drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. Warehouse/Driver Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $38,748 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $38,454 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $38,189 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $39,711 |
| 5 | Oregon | $39,374 |
| 6 | Washington | $40,991 |
| 7 | Alaska | $44,552 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $34,208 |
| 9 | Vermont | $37,189 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $35,291 |
| 11 | Utah | $35,290 |
| 12 | Nevada | $35,383 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $34,984 |
| 14 | Kansas | $33,858 |
| 15 | Nebraska | $35,117 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $37,864 |
| 17 | Colorado | $37,345 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $31,614 |
| 19 | Ohio | $31,038 |
| 20 | California | $37,253 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $34,063 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $31,987 |
| 23 | Missouri | $32,876 |
| 24 | Arizona | $34,108 |
| 25 | Delaware | $32,896 |
| 26 | Indiana | $30,819 |
| 27 | Maine | $33,154 |
| 28 | Maryland | $33,281 |
| 29 | Idaho | $32,514 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $35,974 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $36,141 |
| 32 | New York | $34,744 |
| 33 | Montana | $32,850 |
| 34 | Michigan | $32,993 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $30,784 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $31,052 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $32,041 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $32,830 |
| 39 | Iowa | $30,091 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $29,203 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $28,623 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $32,655 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $28,029 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $26,336 |
| 45 | Virginia | $30,481 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $26,478 |
| 47 | Texas | $30,074 |
| 48 | Alabama | $25,908 |
| 49 | Georgia | $29,024 |
| 50 | Florida | $25,797 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $26,582 |
Expert opinions on the best states for warehouse/drivers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for warehouse/drivers to find work opportunities?
Martin Garsee
Executive Director, NAPFTDS
Many over the road trucking companies will hire you from any location in the 48 contiguous states. Companies that have more set routes in a region of the country, will only hire in that region. Most companies, on their website, have a hiring area located. Where there is a dense population, there are more jobs available. Where there is a port, there are jobs that have to get the goods from the port to a warehouse for distribution, which may be local or hundreds of miles away. Where there is a concentration of manufacturing, raw material has to be brought in and completed products have to be shipped to their final destination.
In large cities there are a lot of delivery jobs to retail outlets.
Warehouse/driver best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025