Salary guide, May 2025
Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Industrial Machinery Mechanics in the United States was $64,520 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $55,010 and $78,780.
Broader occupation · SOC 49-9041 Industrial Machinery Mechanics
The Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $46,120 | $55,010 | $64,520 | $78,780 | $95,170 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22.17 | $26.45 | $31.02 | $37.88 | $45.76 |
BLS estimated 439,640 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-9041 Industrial Machinery Mechanics, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $61,620 | $48,790 to $76,430 | 3,760 | 0.47 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $60,970 | $47,500 to $74,810 | 2,770 | 0.68 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $60,150 | $47,380 to $74,160 | 2,440 | 0.61 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $62,080 | $50,830 to $75,220 | 1,360 | 0.65 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $75,260 | $59,970 to $92,480 | 10,780 | 0.4 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $75,260 | $59,970 to $92,480 | 10,780 | 0.4 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $63,380 | $51,240 to $78,220 | 12,730 | 1.11 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $75,800 | $61,930 to $91,000 | 8,710 | 0.68 |
Rank every metro for Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$94,200
- Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$77,960
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$76,070
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$75,680
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$72,430
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$69,550
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$66,620
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$66,350
- Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$64,050
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$63,970
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$63,890
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$63,480
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$62,020
- Printing and Related Support Activities (NAICS 323000)$61,880
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (NAICS 332000)$61,610
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 232,500 | $57,860 | $65,710 | $78,710 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 39,200 | $56,930 | $63,890 | $75,950 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 26,190 | $60,410 | $72,430 | $83,790 |
| 333000 · 3-digit | Machinery Manufacturing | 24,740 | $57,200 | $64,050 | $77,600 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 21,410 | $61,460 | $75,680 | $88,480 |
| 3330A1 · 4-digit | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 18,570 | $56,810 | $63,970 | $77,740 |
| 332000 · 3-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 18,330 | $50,280 | $61,610 | $72,970 |
| 326000 · 3-digit | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 17,940 | $57,260 | $63,970 | $76,140 |
| 331000 · 3-digit | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 17,240 | $60,080 | $69,550 | $76,260 |
| 326100 · 4-digit | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 14,570 | $56,490 | $63,420 | $75,250 |
| 322000 · 3-digit | Paper Manufacturing | 13,230 | $64,890 | $77,960 | $87,680 |
| 336300 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 13,210 | $55,880 | $64,220 | $77,720 |
| 3250A1 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 12,050 | $62,300 | $77,440 | $93,420 |
| 311600 · 4-digit | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 9,790 | $49,060 | $59,600 | $66,460 |
| 334000 · 3-digit | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 9,560 | $55,380 | $66,350 | $83,030 |
| 331100 · 4-digit | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 7,550 | $60,080 | $67,610 | $72,080 |
| 327000 · 3-digit | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 7,420 | $58,750 | $66,620 | $77,520 |
| 311400 · 4-digit | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 7,290 | $58,550 | $63,310 | $74,840 |
| 3320A2 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 7,120 | $51,890 | $63,320 | $75,190 |
| 3320A1 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 6,780 | $49,270 | $59,880 | $69,510 |
| 312000 · 3-digit | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 6,740 | $61,890 | $76,070 | $81,450 |
| 322200 · 4-digit | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 6,700 | $61,230 | $70,680 | $78,980 |
| 322100 · 4-digit | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 6,530 | $77,230 | $83,320 | $93,390 |
| 334400 · 4-digit | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 6,300 | $59,160 | $71,210 | $88,990 |
| 312100 · 4-digit | Beverage Manufacturing | 6,150 | $62,340 | $76,760 | $81,760 |
| 335000 · 3-digit | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 6,040 | $56,540 | $62,020 | $77,080 |
| 321000 · 3-digit | Wood Product Manufacturing | 6,010 | $50,260 | $60,800 | $71,870 |
| 311900 · 4-digit | Other Food Manufacturing | 5,950 | $59,910 | $68,160 | $79,460 |
| 325400 · 4-digit | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 5,740 | $61,050 | $76,220 | $83,190 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 5,460 | $73,000 | $83,790 | $104,110 |
| 311500 · 4-digit | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 4,960 | $60,920 | $69,030 | $77,060 |
| 311800 · 4-digit | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 4,830 | $60,370 | $66,890 | $76,110 |
| 336100 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 4,620 | $72,200 | $81,810 | $91,790 |
| 324000 · 3-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 4,560 | $74,990 | $94,200 | $112,320 |
| 324100 · 4-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 4,560 | $74,990 | $94,200 | $112,320 |
| 313000 · 3-digit | Textile Mills | 3,900 | $45,760 | $51,560 | $60,630 |
| 339000 · 3-digit | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,640 | $53,700 | $63,480 | $76,460 |
| 3250A2 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 3,620 | $59,200 | $65,160 | $78,260 |
| 326200 · 4-digit | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 3,380 | $59,920 | $68,830 | $79,900 |
| 331500 · 4-digit | Foundries | 3,170 | $55,420 | $63,770 | $74,600 |
| 332700 · 4-digit | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 3,010 | $51,310 | $61,310 | $71,620 |
| 333600 · 4-digit | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 2,760 | $57,650 | $63,430 | $76,280 |
| 334500 · 4-digit | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 2,560 | $46,750 | $62,860 | $78,930 |
| 331300 · 4-digit | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 2,440 | $62,560 | $76,710 | $83,030 |
| 313200 · 4-digit | Fabric Mills | 2,380 | $47,460 | $53,570 | $62,250 |
| 335900 · 4-digit | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 2,370 | $60,840 | $71,530 | $77,810 |
| 332710 · 5-digit | Machine Shops | 2,330 | $50,580 | $60,500 | $71,530 |
| 321100 · 4-digit | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 2,320 | $48,100 | $59,260 | $70,220 |
| 333500 · 4-digit | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 2,260 | $55,320 | $64,480 | $78,170 |
| 339100 · 4-digit | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 2,260 | $56,430 | $64,220 | $77,960 |
| 331400 · 4-digit | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 2,190 | $62,350 | $71,880 | $79,870 |
| 311200 · 4-digit | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 2,180 | $63,440 | $72,420 | $77,580 |
| 337000 · 3-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 2,080 | $50,740 | $59,070 | $65,740 |
| 321900 · 4-digit | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 2,040 | $49,730 | $58,750 | $65,080 |
| 311300 · 4-digit | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 2,010 | $59,950 | $70,530 | $79,000 |
| 331200 · 4-digit | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 1,890 | $57,530 | $68,350 | $78,540 |
| 335200 · 4-digit | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,890 | $54,980 | $59,430 | $68,200 |
| 323000 · 3-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,750 | $52,000 | $61,880 | $73,130 |
| 323100 · 4-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,750 | $52,000 | $61,880 | $73,130 |
| 3370A1 · 4-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 1,720 | $50,740 | $58,220 | $64,810 |
| 321200 · 4-digit | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 1,640 | $57,950 | $65,520 | $77,080 |
| 314000 · 3-digit | Textile Product Mills | 1,630 | $47,390 | $57,610 | $62,400 |
| 311100 · 4-digit | Animal Food Manufacturing | 1,590 | $51,740 | $60,370 | $72,090 |
| 335300 · 4-digit | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 1,460 | $49,990 | $61,020 | $74,440 |
| 332800 · 4-digit | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 1,420 | $50,170 | $62,660 | $70,390 |
| 336600 · 4-digit | Ship and Boat Building | 1,380 | $55,490 | $64,620 | $70,480 |
| 339900 · 4-digit | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,380 | $50,750 | $62,360 | $73,110 |
| 314100 · 4-digit | Textile Furnishings Mills | 1,290 | $48,460 | $58,080 | $62,400 |
| 313100 · 4-digit | Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills | 1,220 | $42,630 | $48,360 | $56,050 |
| 333300 · 4-digit | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 1,140 | $53,380 | $65,670 | $81,250 |
| 336200 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 870 | $51,610 | $62,250 | $69,350 |
| 332720 · 5-digit | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 690 | $58,790 | $62,870 | $71,950 |
| 315000 · 3-digit | Apparel Manufacturing | 660 | $39,700 | $42,550 | $51,790 |
| 311700 · 4-digit | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 610 | $44,890 | $54,640 | $64,800 |
| 312200 · 4-digit | Tobacco Manufacturing | 590 | $58,520 | $73,170 | $78,470 |
| 334100 · 4-digit | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 520 | $66,070 | $79,970 | $85,690 |
| 315100 · 4-digit | Apparel Knitting Mills | 390 | $37,460 | $40,600 | $44,610 |
| 336900 · 4-digit | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 360 | $57,480 | $65,320 | $73,600 |
| 337900 · 4-digit | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 350 | $51,160 | $60,130 | $70,340 |
| 314900 · 4-digit | Other Textile Product Mills | 340 | $40,560 | $50,440 | $61,470 |
| 335100 · 4-digit | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 320 | $57,790 | $63,720 | $73,850 |
| 313300 · 4-digit | Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills | 300 | $48,300 | $58,760 | $67,920 |
| 336500 · 4-digit | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 290 | $44,910 | $47,520 | $59,040 |
| 316000 · 3-digit | Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 210 | $41,050 | $57,390 | $61,830 |
| 315200 · 4-digit | Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 200 | $42,380 | $45,880 | $62,340 |
| 316200 · 4-digit | Footwear Manufacturing | 180 | $45,070 | $58,680 | $65,210 |
| 334200 · 4-digit | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 100 | $46,720 | $47,430 | $69,280 |
| 315900 · 4-digit | Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing | 80 | $43,470 | $56,950 | $58,830 |
| 334600 · 4-digit | Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media | 50 | $54,060 | $59,570 | $61,250 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician, write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $52,710 | $63,760 | $78,070 |
| May 2025 | $55,010 | $64,520 | $78,780 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Maintenance Manager pay (SOC 49-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about the decision behind the experience?
The useful evidence is a fault traced through propulsion, lifting and safety interlocks, not a list of equipment or projects. Discuss what information was available during a fault traced through propulsion, lifting and safety interlocks. A clear explanation exposes equipment repair rather than production-line maintenance or truck operation much better than asking whether the candidate has held the title before.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician?
The median annual wage for Industrial Machinery Mechanics in the United States was $64,520 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $55,010 and $78,780. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $46,120. 90% earned less than $95,170.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician at a plant?
The Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 439,640 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
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- Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician recruiting
- Check an offer for this role
What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters reviews the Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician role using the broad SOC 49-9041 classification, which covers industrial machinery mechanics. This category bundles forklift repair with all other plant maintenance roles, obscuring the pay profile for material handling specialists. For Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates.
The May 2025 median is $64,520; the May 2024 median is $63,760. Their arithmetic difference is $760. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The national P25 stands at $55,010 and the P75 is $78,780, creating a middle-band width of $23,770 for the full occupational sample.
National industry statistics for Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing show a median of $94,200, while Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing reflects $83,790. These industry figures show how different mechanical maintenance roles are compensated within their respective sectors. Regionally, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, region reports a median of $63,180 with a $28,280 middle-band width, and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, region shows a median of $63,380 with a $26,980 middle-band width. These regional medians reflect the total occupation employment and should be viewed as general labor market markers.
The P10 is $46,120, and the P90 is $95,170. Because the Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician title is mapped into the broader SOC 49-9041, the data lacks specific compensation detail for lift-truck diagnostic or safety-interlock repair. Hiring managers must verify specialized technical competencies and forklift-certification maintenance independently. The variance between these figures and the industry-specific medians suggests that material-handling technicians in specialized sectors are likely to be compensated differently than general mechanics. Recruiters should treat these occupational averages as baseline labor costs, acknowledging the limitations of using a generalized maintenance code for specific material-handling roles.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
For Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $64,520; the May 2024 median is $63,760. Their arithmetic difference is $760. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
Does this data reflect specialized forklift repair skills?
No, the SOC 49-9041 category aggregates all mechanics, including those who do not specialize in forklifts or material handling equipment.
What is the best way to determine pay for this role?
Start with the national occupational median and adjust upward based on the candidate's complexity in propulsion, lifting, and safety-interlock diagnostic expertise, comparing against industry-specific rows where relevant.
Why are the regional median changes so small?
For Forklift / Material Handling Equipment Technician in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $64,520; the May 2024 median is $63,760. Their arithmetic difference is $760. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
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