SOC 53-7051 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators — Muskegon
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI · 10 metro areas compared
At $42,720, median pay for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Muskegon, MI tracks the national median of $46,420 closely.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 Muskegon-Norton Shores, 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
At $42,720, median pay for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Muskegon, MI tracks the national median of $46,420 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $37,650 and $47,930. The lowest tenth earn under $36,200, while the highest tenth earn more than $52,830.
The area has 310 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.99 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. 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 182nd of 253 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,200 | −22.0% |
| 25th | $37,650 | −18.9% |
| Median (50th) | $42,720 | −8.0% |
| 75th | $47,930 | +3.3% |
| 90th | $52,830 | +13.8% |
| Mean | $43,920 | −5.4% |
Other metro areas in Michigan
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flint | $78,530 | 1,020 | |
| 2 | Battle Creek | $48,680 | 250 | |
| 3 | Ann Arbor | $48,340 | 250 | |
| 4 | Traverse City | $47,340 | 230 | |
| 5 | Detroit | $46,550 | 10,370 | |
| 6 | Bay City | $45,120 | 130 | |
| 7 | Lansing | $45,070 | 790 | |
| 8 | Kalamazoo | $44,920 | 520 | |
| 9 | Jackson | $43,460 | 230 | |
| 10 | Monroe | $42,990 | 270 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Muskegon run 7.5% below the national average, so the median of $42,720 goes as far as $46,184 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.5% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$42,720as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$46,184US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $42,720 a year, 8.0% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $36,200 to $52,830 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 310 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 Muskegon, MI?
The median annual wage is $42,720, or $20.54 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 Muskegon, MI is 8.0% 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 Muskegon, MI earns more than $52,830 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $36,200 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 310 jobs in this occupation in Muskegon, 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.
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