Conveyor Operators and Tenders Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 53-7011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$42,411
$20.39/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Conveyor Operators and Tenders is $42,411 per year ($20.39/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $38,168 and $48,526 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $59,467 per year. There are approximately 22,930 conveyor operators and tenders employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-3.4%
Slower than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
29K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Couriers and Express Delivery Services
NAICS 492100
9K
$39,460
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424500
3K
$44,000
Warehousing and Storage
NAICS 493100
1K
$40,630
Coal Mining
NAICS 212100
720
$64,160
Dairy Product Manufacturing
NAICS 311500
570
$57,820
Wage range across top 5 industries: $39,460 to $64,160 (63% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.39
$36,171
P25
$18.35
$38,168
P50MEDIAN
$20.39
$42,411
P75
$23.33
$48,526
P90
$28.59
$59,467
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 conveyor operators and tenders salary?
The national median salary for Conveyor Operators and Tenders is $42,411 per year ($20.39/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $38,168 and $48,526 annually.
How much do top-earning conveyor operators and tenders make?
The 90th percentile salary for Conveyor Operators and Tenders is $59,467 per year ($28.59/hr). The 75th percentile is $48,526 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for conveyor operators and tenders?
Entry-level Conveyor Operators and Tenders (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,171 per year ($17.39/hr). The 25th percentile is $38,168 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.
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