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The national median salary for Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors is $58,178 per year ($27.97/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $49,816 and $78,520 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $92,165 per year. There are approximately 9,760 aircraft cargo handling supervisors employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Supervise and coordinate the activities of ground crew in the loading, unloading, securing, and staging of aircraft cargo or baggage. May determine the quantity and orientation of cargo and compute aircraft center of gravity. May accompany aircraft as member of flight crew and monitor and handle cargo in flight, and assist and brief passengers on safety and emergency procedures. Includes loadmasters.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
10K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Couriers and Express Delivery Services
NAICS 492100
4K
$57,320
Scheduled Air Transportation
NAICS 481100
3K
$76,820
Support Activities for Air Transportation
NAICS 488100
2K
$49,820
Freight Transportation Arrangement
NAICS 488500
300
$45,100
Nonscheduled Air Transportation
NAICS 481200
280
$68,390
Wage range across top 5 industries: $45,100 to $76,820 (70% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$20.04
$41,683
P25
$23.95
$49,816
P50MEDIAN
$27.97
$58,178
P75
$37.75
$78,520
P90
$44.31
$92,165
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average aircraft cargo handling supervisors salary?
The national median salary for Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors is $58,178 per year ($27.97/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $49,816 and $78,520 annually.
How much do top-earning aircraft cargo handling supervisors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors is $92,165 per year ($44.31/hr). The 75th percentile is $78,520 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for aircraft cargo handling supervisors?
Entry-level Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (10th percentile) earn approximately $41,683 per year ($20.04/hr). The 25th percentile is $49,816 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.