State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Driver/Sales Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Driver/Sales Workers earn a median of $38,770 per year ($18.64/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 8.8% through 2034, with about 51,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 53-3031Transportation and Material MovingLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $38,770
- Projected growth
- +8.8%
- Openings a year
- 51,300
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Delivery Man, Driver, Driver Salesman, Pizza Delivery Driver, Route Delivery Driver, Route Driver.
How much do Driver/Sales Workers make?
10th percentile$22,590
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$30,200
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$38,770
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$49,000
Upper quartile
90th percentile$59,980
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $38,770 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $18.64/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $40,730 |
| People employed | 409,180 |
Versus all US occupations
At $38,770, Driver/Sales Workers earn 24% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,210 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $58,405, this is 34% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $59,980 or more while the bottom 10% earn $22,590, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 9% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Alaska posts the highest raw median ($48,420), but once local prices are taken into account Iowa leads at $53,691 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Driver/Sales Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $48,420 | $47,304 | 1,270 |
| Iowa | $47,120 | $53,691 | 4,400 |
| Massachusetts | $46,870 | $44,319 | 3,830 |
| Vermont | $46,300 | $47,265 | 510 |
| California | $45,600 | $41,185 | 34,480 |
| South Dakota | $45,050 | $50,855 | 1,050 |
| New Jersey | $44,720 | $41,101 | 9,720 |
| Colorado | $43,420 | $42,134 | 10,790 |
| Kansas | $43,180 | $47,942 | 1,950 |
| New York | $42,730 | $39,594 | 18,990 |
Is Driver/Sales Worker a growing career?
Driver/Sales Workers8.8%
All US occupations3.1%
+8.8% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Driver/Sales Workers to change 8.8% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.8× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 39,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 51,300 openings are projected each year, 11.4% of the 451,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Continued growth of e-commerce should increase the need for deliveries, which is expected to create jobs for light truck drivers. In addition, more of these workers will be needed as consumers increasingly demand faster and more convenient delivery services.
Growing demand for local delivery services also is expected to create jobs for driver/sales workers. The use of mobile ordering apps for groceries, takeout food, and other goods should increase demand for these workers to deliver purchases to consumers.
How to become a Driver/Sales Worker
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter these occupations. However, some opportunities exist for those without a high school diploma. Workers undergo 1 month or less of on-the-job training. They must have a driver’s license from the state in which they work and have a clean driving record.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as driver/sales workers.
- High School Diploma64.0%
- Less than a High School Diploma35.5%
- Post-Secondary Certificate0.4%
What does a Driver/Sales Worker do?
Drive truck or other vehicle over established routes or within an established territory and sell or deliver goods, such as food products, including restaurant take-out items, or pick up or deliver items such as commercial laundry. May also take orders, collect payment, or stock merchandise at point of delivery.
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. They drive trucks weighing less than 26,001 pounds total for vehicle, passengers, and cargo. Delivery truck drivers usually transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.
Day-to-day tasks
- Drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers.
- Listen to and resolve customers' complaints regarding products or services.
- Record sales or delivery information on daily sales or delivery record.
- Inform regular customers of new products or services and price changes.
- Collect money from customers, make change, and record transactions on customer receipts.
- Maintain trucks and food-dispensing equipment and clean inside of machines that dispense food or beverages.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where driver/sales workers work
| Wholesale trade | 22% |
|---|---|
| Retail trade | 10% |
| Self-employed workers | 7% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.8/5
- Speaking3.6/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Monitoring2.9/5
- Writing2.8/5
- Active Learning2.8/5
- Mathematics2.6/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Coordination2.8/5
- Negotiation2.8/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Communications server software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Inventory management software
- Map creation software
- Project management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Driver/Sales Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.3
Investigative1.0
Artistic1.0
Social2.4
Enterprisingprimary3.7
Conventionalprimary4.7
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Driver/Sales Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Driver/Sales Workers make?
Driver/Sales Workers earn a median of $38,770 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 24% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $18.64/hr. The middle half earn between $30,200 and $49,000. The top 10% earn $59,980 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Driver/Sales Worker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Driver/Sales Workers. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 64.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Driver/Sales Worker a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 8.8% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 51,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Driver/Sales Worker do?
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. A core O*NET task: drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Driver/Sales Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Driver/Sales Workers are Alaska ($48,420), Iowa ($47,120), Massachusetts ($46,870) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Iowa moves to the top at $53,691.
What personality type suits a Driver/Sales Worker?
O*NET scores Driver/Sales Workers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.