Hand laborers and material movers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Hand laborers and material movers in the United States earn a median salary of $40,240 per year — about $19 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 7.0M people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +4%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core duties of this occupation are fundamentally physical, involving the manual movement, cleaning, and packing of heavy materials in unpredictable real-world environments. While AI can optimize logistics, routing, and inventory tracking, the physical labor itself is resistant to AI and requires advanced robotics rather than software-based intelligence to automate.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka, KSBEST VALUE | $49,140 | Below avg (85.8) | $57,247 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $47,440 | Below avg (88.0) | $53,936 |
| Decatur, IL | $46,010 | Below avg (86.7) | $53,092 |
| Sheboygan, WI | $48,150 | Below avg (90.9) | $52,973 |
| Dubuque, IA | $45,960 | Below avg (89.1) | $51,606 |
| Warner Robins, GA | $47,130 | Below avg (91.8) | $51,345 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $45,690 | Below avg (89.1) | $51,259 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | $46,440 | Below avg (90.9) | $51,082 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | $47,310 | Below avg (92.9) | $50,939 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $45,480 | Below avg (89.3) | $50,929 |
| Grand Island, NE | $44,370 | Below avg (87.1) | $50,919 |
| Mankato, MN | $44,500 | Below avg (87.6) | $50,772 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $43,580 | Below avg (85.9) | $50,728 |
| Pueblo, CO | $47,100 | Below avg (93.0) | $50,644 |
| Roanoke, VA | $46,180 | Below avg (91.2) | $50,633 |