High paying transportation jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV run 8.9% above the national average (2024), so a Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV salary is worth about 0.92× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

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

Find transportation jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

OccupationMedian, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · Employed

1Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$209,750
Bachelor's degree
$94,790 – $358,4805,100
2Air Traffic Controllers$174,870
Associate's degree
$47,760 – $225,6801,800
3First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$67,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,130 – $104,0208,430
4Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$65,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,360 – $92,3204,070
5Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other$64,600
No formal educational credential
$36,140 – $72,2001,510
6Flight Attendants$63,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,810 – $99,2203,750
7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$59,820
Postsecondary nondegree award
$44,870 – $82,54020,430
8Bus Drivers, School$57,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,280 – $74,1508,620
9Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$49,710
No formal educational credential
$40,780 – $77,1806,400
10Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$46,530
No formal educational credential
$37,430 – $68,6503,100
11Light Truck Drivers$46,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,980 – $76,17016,390
12Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$45,640
No formal educational credential
$36,040 – $60,0104,960
13Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$42,590
No formal educational credential
$35,290 – $55,19028,510
14Driver/Sales Workers$38,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $57,6509,000
15Stockers and Order Fillers$37,870
No formal educational credential
$31,280 – $50,05035,340
16Packers and Packagers, Hand$37,730
No formal educational credential
$30,090 – $52,8003,530
17Parking Attendants$36,930
No formal educational credential
$31,780 – $43,9903,110
18Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$36,730
No formal educational credential
$31,160 – $50,9605,560
19Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$35,690
No formal educational credential
$30,090 – $48,1501,660

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

#	Occupation	MedianWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersBachelor's degree	$209,750	$94,790 – $358,480	5,100
2	Air Traffic ControllersAssociate's degree	$174,870	$47,760 – $225,680	1,800
3	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,960	$46,130 – $104,020	8,430
4	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,220	$50,360 – $92,320	4,070
5	Motor Vehicle Operators, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$64,600	$36,140 – $72,200	1,510
6	Flight AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,580	$25,810 – $99,220	3,750
7	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$59,820	$44,870 – $82,540	20,430
8	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,610	$38,280 – $74,150	8,620
9	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$49,710	$40,780 – $77,180	6,400
10	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$46,530	$37,430 – $68,650	3,100
11	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,360	$34,980 – $76,170	16,390
12	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$45,640	$36,040 – $60,010	4,960
13	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$42,590	$35,290 – $55,190	28,510
14	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,790	$31,200 – $57,650	9,000
15	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$37,870	$31,280 – $50,050	35,340
16	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$37,730	$30,090 – $52,800	3,530
17	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$36,930	$31,780 – $43,990	3,110
18	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$36,730	$31,160 – $50,960	5,560
19	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$35,690	$30,090 – $48,150	1,660

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

By field in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

More for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

By field in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Without a degree

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