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 (88.8) | $55,325 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $47,440 | Below avg (87.1) | $54,493 |
| Dubuque, IA | $45,960 | Below avg (87.3) | $52,629 |
| Decatur, IL | $46,010 | Below avg (88.4) | $52,035 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | $47,310 | Below avg (91.1) | $51,916 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $45,480 | Below avg (87.6) | $51,899 |
| Pueblo, CO | $47,100 | Below avg (91.8) | $51,328 |
| Sheboygan, WI | $48,150 | Below avg (94.0) | $51,216 |
| Grand Island, NE | $44,370 | Below avg (86.7) | $51,202 |
| Minot, ND | $44,560 | Below avg (87.0) | $51,202 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | $44,100 | Below avg (86.4) | $51,052 |
| Rochester, MN | $46,360 | Below avg (90.8) | $51,045 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $46,370 | Below avg (91.7) | $50,567 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | $46,140 | Below avg (91.6) | $50,348 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $46,830 | Below avg (93.1) | $50,315 |