High paying transportation jobs in Texas

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Texas. 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 Texas run 2.9% below the national average (2024), so a Texas salary is worth about 1.03× 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 Texas.

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

Find transportation jobs in Texas

OccupationMedian, Texas · Employed

1Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$215,150
Bachelor's degree
$92,370 – $456,57010,930
2Wellhead Pumpers$75,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,090 – $97,64010,250
3Crane and Tower Operators$73,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,790 – $93,3906,010
4Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters$68,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,680 – $79,4004,640
5First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$60,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,900 – $95,03060,700
6Flight Attendants$58,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,800 – $77,74013,470
7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$56,290
Postsecondary nondegree award
$38,150 – $79,400209,680
8Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$48,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,290 – $64,89011,600
9Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$46,330
No formal educational credential
$30,830 – $59,38012,860
10Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$45,450
No formal educational credential
$34,300 – $59,78088,780
11Bus Drivers, School$44,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$23,690 – $60,74037,550
12Light Truck Drivers$42,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,120 – $91,28078,540
13Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$37,540
No formal educational credential
$29,250 – $50,140216,970
14Stockers and Order Fillers$36,840
No formal educational credential
$28,870 – $47,180322,710
15Driver/Sales Workers$35,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$18,290 – $60,02040,950
16Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$35,600
No formal educational credential
$21,490 – $47,92013,240
17Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$33,670
No formal educational credential
$27,040 – $43,4706,880
18Packers and Packagers, Hand$33,090
No formal educational credential
$23,550 – $44,22046,510
19Passenger Attendants$31,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,290 – $35,7005,170
20Parking Attendants$31,200
No formal educational credential
$23,960 – $40,24012,100
21Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$29,450
No formal educational credential
$22,930 – $43,43037,750

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

#	Occupation	MedianTexas	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersBachelor's degree	$215,150	$92,370 – $456,570	10,930
2	Wellhead PumpersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,860	$45,090 – $97,640	10,250
3	Crane and Tower OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,280	$42,790 – $93,390	6,010
4	Railroad Conductors and YardmastersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,980	$45,680 – $79,400	4,640
5	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,000	$38,900 – $95,030	60,700
6	Flight AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,220	$28,800 – $77,740	13,470
7	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$56,290	$38,150 – $79,400	209,680
8	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,740	$37,290 – $64,890	11,600
9	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$46,330	$30,830 – $59,380	12,860
10	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$45,450	$34,300 – $59,780	88,780
11	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,490	$23,690 – $60,740	37,550
12	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,500	$28,120 – $91,280	78,540
13	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$37,540	$29,250 – $50,140	216,970
14	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$36,840	$28,870 – $47,180	322,710
15	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,850	$18,290 – $60,020	40,950
16	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$35,600	$21,490 – $47,920	13,240
17	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$33,670	$27,040 – $43,470	6,880
18	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$33,090	$23,550 – $44,220	46,510
19	Passenger AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$31,230	$28,290 – $35,700	5,170
20	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$31,200	$23,960 – $40,240	12,100
21	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$29,450	$22,930 – $43,430	37,750

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Texas. 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 Texas

Metro areas in Texas

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

By field in Texas

Without a degree

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

High paying transportation jobs in Texas

More for Texas

Metro areas in Texas

By field in Texas

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state