Runs the final leg of delivery, managing drivers, routes and delivery stations that get packages from local hubs to customers' doors. BLS does not publish separate figures for logisticians; it counts them within logistician (SOC 13-1081), whose median pay is $82,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-1081
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Last-Mile Operations Manager in four numbers
- Median pay
- $82,320a year, or $39.58/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $51KTop 10% $133K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +17.6%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+17.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +17.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 26,600255,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025255.1K
- Projected 2035300K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 255.1K Projected 2035 300K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school8.3%
- Certificate8.3%
- Some college8.3%
- Bachelor's75%
Highest education held by logisticians Segment Value High school 8.3% Certificate 8.3% Some college 8.3% Bachelor's 75%
Also advertised as: Delivery Station Manager, Last Mile Delivery Manager, Delivery Operations Manager, Final Mile Operations Manager, Delivery Service Partner Owner.
Pay
How much do Logisticians make?
Every last-mile operations manager in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$82,320
Middle half earn $64,440 to $106,190
- 10th
- $50,890
- 25th
- $64,440
- 75th
- $106,190
- 90th
- $133,160
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $50,890 |
| 25th | $64,440 |
| Median | $82,320 |
| 75th | $106,190 |
| 90th | $133,160 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $82,320
- Median hourly wage
- $39.58/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $89,730
- People employed
- 251,040
Versus all US occupations
At $82,320, Logisticians earn 61% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $31,340 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
The median is typical for the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $133,160 or more while the bottom 10% earn $50,890, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 62% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($107,250), but once local prices are taken into account Alabama leads at $110,838 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Logisticians the most?
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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $107,250 | $100,221 | 5,670 |
| 2District of Columbia | $104,770 | $95,331 | 1,350 |
| 3Maryland | $102,700 | $97,848 | 6,840 |
| 4Massachusetts | $100,360 | $94,897 | 5,250 |
| 5Hawaii | $100,340 | $91,259 | 570 |
| 6Virginia | $98,920 | $97,840 | 10,540 |
| 7Alabama | $98,450 | $110,838 | 5,190 |
| 8New Mexico | $98,430 | $106,743 | 850 |
| 9Colorado | $96,090 | $93,244 | 4,490 |
| 10Delaware | $96,090 | $96,275 | 520 |
Job outlook
Is Last-Mile Operations Manager a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +17.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Logisticians | +17.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Logisticians to change 17.6% over 2025–2035, roughly 5.0× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 44,900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 26,600 openings are projected each year, 10.4% of the 255,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Last-Mile Operations Manager
Many last-mile managers have a bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics or business, while others rise from driver or warehouse supervisor roles. Large e-commerce companies hire recent graduates into area manager programs at delivery stations.
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals offers education and the SCPro certification, and ASCM offers logistics certifications. Knowledge of Department of Transportation and safety rules matters for fleets. The job rewards people who stay calm under pressure and can lead large, fast-changing teams.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as logisticians.
- Bachelor's Degree75%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)8.3%
- Post-Secondary Certificate8.3%
- Some College Courses8.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 75% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 8.3% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 8.3% |
| Some College Courses | 8.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Last-Mile Operations Manager do?
The last mile, from a local delivery station to the customer's door, is the most expensive and visible part of shipping. Last-mile operations managers run it for parcel carriers, e-commerce companies, grocery and furniture delivery services, and contracted delivery businesses.
They plan staffing, oversee early-morning sortation, and use routing software to build daily routes. During the day they monitor on-time delivery, handle missed packages and customer issues, and coach drivers on safety and performance. They manage vans and equipment, track metrics such as stops per hour and delivery accuracy, and adjust plans for peak seasons when volume can surge.
Day-to-day tasks
- Plan staffing and driver schedules for daily volume
- Oversee package sortation and van loading
- Build and adjust delivery routes using routing software
- Monitor on-time delivery and resolve exceptions
- Coach drivers on safety and performance
- Manage delivery vehicles and equipment
- Plan for peak season volume surges
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Last-mile managers work in delivery stations and warehouses, on their feet much of the day, often starting before dawn. Peak seasons around holidays bring long hours and weekend shifts. The pace is fast and the work is measured by daily metrics.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.5
- Writing3.4
- Mathematics3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Systems Analysis3.5
- Time Management3.4
- Persuasion3.3
- Negotiation3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 |
| Time Management | 3.4 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Last-Mile Operations Manager?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECR) built on O*NET's Logistician profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Last-Mile Operations Manager |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional5.4
- Enterprising5.3
- Investigative3.8
- Realistic3.1
- Social2.3
- Artistic1.1
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Last-Mile Operations Manager
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Management
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Manager
$107,230median a year
Most earn $65K to $195K
+6.1%High school - Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with logisticians highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Accountant$83,680
- Last-Mile Operations Manager$82,320
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Last-Mile Operations Manager | $82,320 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Last-Mile Operations Manager appears on
Questions
Last-Mile Operations Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Logisticians make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for logisticians. It counts them within logistician, whose median pay is $82,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $64,440 and $106,190, and the top 10% earn $133,160 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Last-Mile Operations Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Logisticians, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 75.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Last-Mile Operations Manager a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 17.6% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 26,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Last-Mile Operations Manager do?
The last mile, from a local delivery station to the customer's door, is the most expensive and visible part of shipping. A typical task: plan staffing and driver schedules for daily volume. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Logisticians the most?
The highest state medians for Logisticians are Washington ($107,250), District of Columbia ($104,770), Maryland ($102,700) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alabama moves to the top at $110,838.
What personality type suits a Last-Mile Operations Manager?
O*NET scores Logisticians highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.