Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Bachelor's degree
None
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These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
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Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Logisticians plan and coordinate the movement of goods, services, and related information, supported by strong project management and analytical skills. This career combines mathematics, computers and information technology, and problem solving and decision making to keep complex activities organized and on track. Nationally, logisticians earn a median annual salary of $80,880, with about 241,000 people employed in this field. The role has a strong communication component, drawing on speaking and listening, writing and reading, and customer service skills. Creativity and innovation, along with leadership, also appear among the top skills, suggesting opportunities to design and improve processes as well as guide teams. The typical educational requirement is a bachelor’s degree, making this a professional career path that is accessible to students planning a four‑year program and to career changers prepared to complete that level of education. With projected employment growth of 16.7% and an estimated 26,000 annual openings, logisticians have a broad and growing range of opportunities to build and advance their careers.
Logisticians have a strong earning profile, with a national median annual salary of $80,880. Earnings vary by location, and several states and metro areas stand out for higher median pay. Among the top states, Washington reports a median salary of $107,250, Massachusetts $100,360, Colorado $96,090, California $92,890, and New York $88,240. At the metro level, salaries can be even higher: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA shows a median of $115,570, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is at $104,330, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH at $101,540, and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $101,040. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro reports $92,540. These figures indicate that logisticians may see particularly strong earning potential in certain coastal and major metro regions, while the national median provides a solid baseline for planning and negotiation.
Logisticians benefit from a favorable employment outlook, with national employment currently at 241,000 and projected growth of 16.7%. This projected increase, combined with an estimated 26,000 annual openings, points to a steady flow of opportunities for new entrants and experienced professionals. Annual openings reflect not only new positions created by growth, but also the need to fill existing roles as people change jobs or retire. The consistent 16.7% growth rate reported across the highlighted states and metro areas suggests that expansion in this occupation is broadly distributed rather than limited to one region. For students and career changers, these indicators support planning a long-term path in logistics. For working professionals already in related fields, such as project management or business operations, the growth figures suggest that transitioning into a logistician role could align well with an expanding labor market.
Location makes a meaningful difference for logisticians, both in pay and concentration of jobs. Among states, California has the highest employment at 32,940 logisticians, with a median salary of $92,890 and an opportunity score of 67.38. New York employs 6,930, Massachusetts 5,250, Washington 5,670, and Colorado 4,490. Median salaries in these states range from $88,240 in New York up to $107,250 in Washington, with opportunity scores from 56.29 in Washington to 67.38 in California. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA stands out with a median salary of $115,570 and the highest opportunity score of 77.42. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metros also show strong opportunity scores of 77.27 and 68.75, respectively. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH combine relatively high salaries with solid employment counts around 8,020 and 4,510 logisticians. Together, these patterns highlight several states and metros where logisticians may find especially attractive combinations of pay and opportunity.
The typical education requirement for logisticians is a bachelor’s degree, positioning this as a professional career path that generally expects four years of postsecondary study. Within that educational foundation, several core skill areas are especially important. Project management, critical and analytical thinking, and problem solving and decision making support the planning and coordination work central to logistics. Mathematics and computers and information technology are also key, indicating the importance of comfort with quantitative information and digital tools. Leadership skills can help logisticians guide teams and initiatives, while speaking and listening and writing and reading reflect the communication demands of the role. Creativity and innovation, along with customer service skills, round out the profile, suggesting value in both improving processes and working effectively with internal or external stakeholders. Students and career changers can use this skill set as a guide when selecting bachelor’s programs and related learning experiences to prepare for this field.
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