Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-7011

Conveyor Operators and Tenders

Median pay sits 48% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Flight Attendants, Subway and Streetcar Operators, Air Traffic Controllers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Conveyor Operators and Tenders: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) , Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K) , Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Conveyor Operators and Tenders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-7011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control
  2. 2. Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis
  3. 3. Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed
  4. 4. Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor
  5. 5. Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunct…
  6. 6. Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems…
  7. 7. Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps
  8. 8. Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or h…
  9. 9. Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors
  10. 10. Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, tim…
  11. 11. Weigh or measure materials and products, using scales or other measuring instruments, or read scales on conveyors that continually weigh…
  12. 12. Read production and delivery schedules, and confer with supervisors, to determine sorting and transfer procedures, arrangement of package…

Conveyor Operators and Tenders: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-7011 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 4.0 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 4.0
  2. 2. Operation and Control 4.0
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.4
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.1
  5. 5. Speaking 3.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.0
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.0
  2. 2. Mechanical 3.1
  3. 3. Public Safety and Security 3.0
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.0
  5. 5. Transportation 2.8
  6. 6. Education and Training 2.6
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-48%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $42,420/yr
$42K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
2,600
Annual openings
22,930
Estimated US jobs
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $232K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Conveyor Operators and Tenders

1. Indiana $46,300
2. Louisiana $54,590
3. Utah $48,620
4. Iowa $56,900
5. Alabama $55,970
6. New Jersey $50,750
7. West Virginia $62,830
8. Wyoming $52,480
9. Maryland $56,120
10. North Dakota $47,770

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  2. 2. Flight Attendants $63,580
  3. 3. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  4. 4. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  5. 5. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  6. 6. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Conveyor Operators and Tenders sits 48% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $42,420.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Indiana at $46,300. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Conveyor Operators and Tenders pay-rank #35 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

On the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table (50 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Conveyor Operators and Tenders lands at #35, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-7011 · national median $42,420 · lower third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#35/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Conveyor Operators and Tenders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-7011

Indiana · top state for Conveyor Operators and Tenders

$46K published median

Louisiana · #2 state pay

$55K · behind Indiana

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Conveyor Operators and Tenders · $232K

Flight Attendants

Lower-pay peer beside Conveyor Operators and Tenders · $64K

Compare Conveyor Operators and Tenders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Conveyor Operators and Tenders with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Conveyor Operators and Tenders

Against another occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Conveyor Operators and Tenders land on the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table? ▼
Conveyor Operators and Tenders is pay-rank #35 of 50 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Taxi Drivers ($42K), Material Moving Workers, All Other ($42K), Machine Feeders and Offbearers ($41K), Aircraft Service Attendants ($40K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do conveyor operators and tenders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Conveyor Operators and Tenders. Leading ones include: Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control; Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis; Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed; Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for conveyor operators and tenders? ▼
For SOC 53-7011, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (4.0), Operation and Control (4.0), Monitoring (3.4), Active Listening (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Conveyor Operators and Tenders? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $42,420 as the national median for Conveyor Operators and Tenders. The published 10th-90th range is $36,180 to $59,470. Beside Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232,140), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Conveyor Operators and Tenders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Conveyor Operators and Tenders is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 2,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Conveyor Operators and Tenders? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Conveyor Operators and Tenders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Conveyor Operators and Tenders? ▼
Indiana ($46,300), Louisiana ($54,590), Utah ($48,620) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Conveyor Operators and Tenders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-7011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Conveyor Operators and Tenders. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics