SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-7051 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators — Bay City

Bay City, MI · 10 metro areas compared

$45,120 /year
$21.69per hour
130jobs in area
−2.8%vs US median

The median wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Bay City, MI is $45,120 per year, close to the national median of $46,420 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $46,42010TH$34,30025TH$37,130MEDIAN$45,12090TH$55,170

How pay has moved

$47,660$32,4202019202020212022202320242025$45,120
$35,510 in 2019 to $45,120 in 2025, +27.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.1%
Openings per year
76,400
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Bay City, MI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Bay City, MI is $45,120 per year, close to the national median of $46,420 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $34,300 at the tenth percentile to more than $55,170 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $37,130 to $45,910.

The area has 130 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 3.7 of every thousand jobs. Flint leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $78,530. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 110th of 176 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Bay City, MI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$34,300−26.1%
25th$37,130−20.0%
Median (50th)$45,120−2.8%
75th$45,910−1.1%
90th$55,170+18.8%
Mean$43,870−5.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Michigan

Median annual wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Flint$78,5301,020
2Battle Creek$48,680250
3Ann Arbor$48,340250
4Traverse City$47,340230
5Detroit$46,55010,370
6Lansing$45,070790
7Kalamazoo$44,920520
8Jackson$43,460230
9Monroe$42,990270
10Muskegon$42,720310

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Bay City run 8.1% below the national average, so the median of $45,120 goes as far as $49,097 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$45,120as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$49,097US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $45,120 a year, 2.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $34,300 to $55,170 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 130 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Flint, at $78,530.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Bay City, MI?

The median annual wage is $45,120, or $21.69 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $46,420, so pay in Bay City, MI is 2.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Bay City, MI earns more than $55,170 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $34,300 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Flint, at $78,530 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 130 jobs in this occupation in Bay City, MI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Salary in Bay City, MI (2025): $45,120 Median | Salary Explorer