High paying transportation jobs in District of Columbia

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in District of Columbia. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single transportation job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in District of Columbia run 9.9% above the national average (2024), so a District of Columbia salary is worth about 0.91× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in District of Columbia.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find transportation jobs in District of Columbia

OccupationMedian, District of Columbia · Employed

1Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other$69,870
No formal educational credential
$55,140 – $72,220980
2Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$64,170
Postsecondary nondegree award
$51,500 – $84,000830
3First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$60,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,630 – $98,890920
4Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$55,490
No formal educational credential
$39,810 – $76,020540
5Bus Drivers, School$55,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,850 – $55,480510
6Passenger Attendants$52,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,480 – $54,810710
7Transportation Workers, All Other$51,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,800 – $98,410340
8Light Truck Drivers$49,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,890 – $69,400540
9Air Traffic Controllers$47,760
Associate's degree
$47,760 – $196,310820
10Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$45,740
No formal educational credential
$37,550 – $62,3901,200
11Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$45,700
No formal educational credential
$37,510 – $62,400440
12Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$42,710
No formal educational credential
$36,400 – $54,540350
13Driver/Sales Workers$41,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,400 – $57,6501,020
14Stockers and Order Fillers$39,640
No formal educational credential
$37,800 – $50,0103,150
15Parking Attendants$37,220
No formal educational credential
$36,400 – $43,5301,900

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianDistrict of Columbia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Motor Vehicle Operators, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$69,870	$55,140 – $72,220	980
2	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$64,170	$51,500 – $84,000	830
3	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,310	$37,630 – $98,890	920
4	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$55,490	$39,810 – $76,020	540
5	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,450	$51,850 – $55,480	510
6	Passenger AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,730	$41,480 – $54,810	710
7	Transportation Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,730	$43,800 – $98,410	340
8	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,330	$37,890 – $69,400	540
9	Air Traffic ControllersAssociate's degree	$47,760	$47,760 – $196,310	820
10	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$45,740	$37,550 – $62,390	1,200
11	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$45,700	$37,510 – $62,400	440
12	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$42,710	$36,400 – $54,540	350
13	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,600	$36,400 – $57,650	1,020
14	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$39,640	$37,800 – $50,010	3,150
15	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$37,220	$36,400 – $43,530	1,900

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in District of Columbia. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for District of Columbia

Metro areas in District of Columbia

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

By field in District of Columbia

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in District of Columbia to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in District of Columbia

More for District of Columbia

Metro areas in District of Columbia

By field in District of Columbia

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state