Average Salary by Industry
Industry sector (% of response) | Salary |
Aerospace & Defense (4%) | $74,000 |
Automotive/Transportation Vehicles & Equipment (6%) | $74,750 |
Chemicals (5%) | $94,962 |
Computer & Electronic Products (3%) | $69,214 |
Construction/Building Equipment (2%) | $82,667 |
Consulting/Education (4%) | $73,091 |
Consumer Goods/Durables (4%) | $56,282 |
Food, Beverage & Tobacco (6%) | $86,294 |
Industrial Machinery (6%) | $66,938 |
Material Handling Equipment (10%) | $93,032 |
Metals/Metal Products (6%) | $86,315 |
Paper/Printing/Publishing (2%) | $82,680 |
Pharmaceuticals/Healthcare (4%) | $69,700 |
Plastics & Rubber Products (1%) | $63,500 |
Retail Trade (7%) | $91,450 |
Textiles (2%) | $71,100 |
Third-Party Logistics Provider (3%) | $84,125 |
Transportation/Warehousing (9%) | $96,769 |
Wholesaler/Distributor (10%) | $81,126 |
Other (e.g., Energy/Utilities, Waste Management) (6%) | $66,405 |
Average Salary by Education Level
Highest level attained (% of response) | Salary |
High School (10%) | $77,311 |
Some College (23%) | $68,051 |
2-yr Degree (12%) | $63,224 |
4-yr Bachelors Degree (30%) | $87,483 |
Some Graduate Study (8%) | $120,880 |
Master’s Degree or higher (17%) | $82,530 |
Average Salary by Race
Ethnic background | Salary |
Asian or Pacific Islander (3%) | $76,375 |
Black/African-American (3%) | $68,521 |
Hispanic/Latino (3%) | $58,000 |
Native American or Alaska Native (1%) | $86,750 |
White/Caucasian (86%) | $82,078 |
Prefer not to say (4%) | $83,667 |
Average Salary by Gender
Gender (% of response) | Salary |
Male (91%) | $82,245 |
Female (9%) | $65,230 |
Average Salary by Company Size
Annual corporate revenues (% of response) | Salary |
Less than $25 million (34%) | $74,560 |
$25-50 million (13%) | $69,286 |
$51-100 million (13%) | $105,562 |
$100-500 million (15%) | $79,879 |
$501 million-$1 billion (6%) | $76,318 |
$1 billion-$20 billion (12%) | $84,242 |
More than $20 billion (7%) | $103,744 |
Average Salary by Age
Age (% of response) | Salary |
21-29 (1%) | $53,500 |
30-39 (8%) | $62,127 |
40-49 (30%) | $76,720 |
50-59 (43%) | $85,529 |
60+ (18%) | $86,295 |
Average Salary by Experience
Years in material handling and logistics industry (% of response) | Salary |
0-2 (4%) | $75,200 |
3-5 (10%) | $81,796 |
6-10 (12%) | $67,232 |
11-15 (12%) | $68,286 |
16-20 (15%) | $74,095 |
21-25 (14%) | $87,055 |
26+ (33%) | $91,065 |
Average Salary by Seniority
Years with current company (% of response) | Salary |
0-2 (8%) | $71,714 |
3-5 (18%) | $87,389 |
6-10 (16%) | $77,260 |
11-15 (17%) | $79,275 |
16-20 (11%) | $72,113 |
21-25 (10%) | $82,304 |
26+ (20%) | $87,230 |
Average Salary by Staff Size
Number of employees you manage (% of response) | Salary |
0-10 (60%) | $75,665 |
11-25 (20%) | $80,634 |
26-50 (10%) | $91,914 |
51-100 (5%) | $106,231 |
More than 100 (5%) | $107,742 |
How has your company’s staffing changed over the past year?
Reduced staff | 50% |
Added staff | 27% |
No change | 23% |
How satisfied are you with your current job?
(% of response) | 2011 | 2010 |
Very satisfied | 25% | 33% |
Satisfied | 44% | 36% |
Neither satisfied nor unsatisfied | 20% | 20% |
Unsatisfied | 9% | 9% |
Very unsatisfied | 2% | 2% |
Average Salary by Job Responsibility
Position (% of response) | Salary |
Consultant (4%) | $94,900 |
Corporate/Executive Management (CEO, COO, CFO, President, GM, etc.) (17%) | $105,717 |
Distribution/Warehouse/Logistics Manager (12%) | $78,368 |
Engineering Manager (8%) | $81,318 |
Inventory/Materials Manager (3%) | $65,444 |
Maintenance Manager (2%) | $60,400 |
Operations Manager (10%) | $79,541 |
Plant/Manufacturing Manager (7%) | $68,452 |
Purchasing/Sourcing Manager (4%) | $59,500 |
Safety Manager (2%) | $57,917 |
Sales/Business Development Manager (7%) | $66,132 |
Senior/Executive VP (7%) | $94,120 |
Supply Chain Manager (4%) | $104,000 |
Transportation/Fleet/Traffic Manager (6%) | $67,824 |
Other (Continuous Improvement Manager, Quality Manager, Training Manager, etc.) (6%) | $65,842 |
Average Salary by Geographic Region
Region (% of response) | Salary |
New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) (9%) | $56,404 |
Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) (15%) | $91,430 |
South Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) (14%) | $80,304 |
North Central (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI) (34%) | $84,827 |
South Central (AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX) (9%) | $73,671 |
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) (5%) | $83,286 |
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) (13%) | $83,659 |
Other North America (Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico) (1%) | $40,333 |
How satisfied are you with material handling and logistics as a career path?
(% of response) | 2011 | 2010 |
Very satisfied | 28% | 38% |
Satisfied | 42% | 40% |
Neither satisfied nor unsatisfied | 26% | 20% |
Unsatisfied | 3% | 2% |
Very unsatisfied | 1% | 0% |
What matters most to you about your job?
(% of response) | |
Job Stability | 32% |
Base Salary | 15% |
Recognition of Your Importance to Company | 10% |
Career Advancement Opportunities | 6% |
Benefits | 8% |
Flexible Schedule | 4% |
Company’s Recognition of the Importance of Material Handling Operations | 9% |
Relationships with Co-Workers | 5% |
Continuing Education/Training | 2% |
Vacation Time | 1% |
Other (e.g., customer service, profitability, government regulations) | 8% |
Change in Base Salary Over Previous Year
(% of response) | 2011 | 2010 |
Increased more than 5% | 6% | 5% |
Increased 3-5% | 13% | 9% |
Increased 1-3% | 23% | 12% |
No change | 45% | 56% |
Decreased 1-3% | 3% | 3% |
Decreased 3-5% | 3% | 4% |
Decreased more than 5% | 7% | 11% |
What is your annual bonus?
Less than $1,000 | 10% |
$1,000-$5,000 | 18% |
$5,001-$10,000 | 12% |
$10,001-$25,000 | 11% |
More than $25,000 | 10% |
None | 39% |
When was your most recent promotion?
Within the past 12 months | 10% |
Within the past 1-2 years | 13% |
Within the past 3-5 years | 29% |
More than 5 years ago | 48% |
What was the biggest impact of the recession on you and your job?
Took on more responsibilities | 48% |
Found ways to be more productive | 20% |
No impact | 14% |
Productivity dropped | 8% |
Like your job less | 6% |
Not equipped to do your job adequately | 4% |
The Method to Our Madness
The MH&L 2011 Salary Survey was conducted online via e-mailed invitations to subscribers. The survey took place in January 2011. A total of 293 completed surveys were submitted. Respondents were not compensated, but were offered the chance to win a battery charger. All responses were anonymous.