Transportation
Forklift & Industrial Truck Operators
SOC 53-7051
Move pallets and heavy loads with powered industrial trucks.
The job
Median pay
$46k
$40k to $55k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+1.5% projected
Openings a year
65k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
9/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
31st pct
More exposed than 31% of occupations · modeled estimate · 3rd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
42/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 89,620 | 4.9 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Texas | 88,780 | 6.3 | 1.3× | $45k |
| Georgia | 50,260 | 10.3 | 2.1× | $43k |
| Ohio | 42,360 | 7.6 | 1.5× | $46k |
| Pennsylvania | 42,110 | 6.9 | 1.4× | $48k |
| Florida | 38,400 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Illinois | 29,450 | 4.8 | 1.0× | $48k |
| North Carolina | 26,830 | 5.4 | 1.1× | $43k |
| Michigan | 23,470 | 5.3 | 1.1× | $45k |
| Indiana | 23,090 | 7.2 | 1.4× | $46k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 21,790 | 5.1 | 1.0× | $46k |
| Tennessee | 20,070 | 6.1 | 1.2× | $42k |
| Virginia | 19,320 | 4.7 | 0.9× | $47k |
| Washington | 18,750 | 5.3 | 1.1× | $50k |
| New York | 18,420 | 1.9 | 0.4× | $49k |
| Alabama | 15,360 | 7.3 | 1.5× | $45k |
| South Carolina | 14,210 | 6.2 | 1.2× | $44k |
| Maryland | 13,740 | 5.0 | 1.0× | $46k |
| Arizona | 12,340 | 3.8 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Wisconsin | 12,150 | 4.1 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Missouri | 11,470 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $45k |
| Kentucky | 11,270 | 5.6 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Arkansas | 10,850 | 8.3 | 1.7× | $44k |
| Mississippi | 9,640 | 8.3 | 1.7× | $43k |
| Colorado | 8,570 | 3.0 | 0.6× | $51k |
| Oregon | 8,560 | 4.4 | 0.9× | $51k |
| Massachusetts | 8,390 | 2.3 | 0.5× | $47k |
| Oklahoma | 7,850 | 4.6 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Iowa | 7,770 | 5.0 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Kansas | 7,700 | 5.4 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Louisiana | 7,680 | 4.0 | 0.8× | $49k |
| Nevada | 7,300 | 4.7 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Minnesota | 7,110 | 2.4 | 0.5× | $50k |
| Utah | 6,830 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $49k |
| Delaware | 5,230 | 10.8 | 2.2× | $60k |
| Nebraska | 5,020 | 4.9 | 1.0× | $47k |
| Connecticut | 3,780 | 2.2 | 0.5× | $47k |
| Maine | 2,900 | 4.5 | 0.9× | $48k |
| New Mexico | 2,620 | 3.0 | 0.6× | $62k |
| Idaho | 2,560 | 3.0 | 0.6× | $47k |
| South Dakota | 1,940 | 4.2 | 0.8× | $47k |
| New Hampshire | 1,450 | 2.1 | 0.4× | $54k |
| West Virginia | 1,400 | 2.0 | 0.4× | $42k |
| Washington DC | 1,047 | 1.5 | 0.3× | $84k~ |
| Vermont | 950 | 3.1 | 0.6× | $47k |
| North Dakota | 930 | 2.2 | 0.4× | $49k |
| Montana | 910 | 1.8 | 0.4× | $48k |
| Hawaii | 880 | 1.4 | 0.3× | $54k |
| Wyoming | 790 | 2.8 | 0.6× | $60k |
| Rhode Island | 780 | 1.6 | 0.3× | $45k |
| Alaska | 410 | 1.3 | 0.3× | $54k |
Top metro areas
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX34,650 jobs · $47k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA28,750 jobs · $45k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ24,720 jobs · $47k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA24,180 jobs · $48k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN22,320 jobs · $48k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA22,170 jobs · $47k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX20,910 jobs · $46k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD15,670 jobs · $49k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Forklift & Industrial Truck Operators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.