Logisticians: Salary Overview
Logisticians coordinate an organization’s supply chain and manage the product’s entire life cycle from supplier to consumer.
Logisticians typically supervise the allocation of materials, supplies, and products, develop and maintain business relationships with suppliers and consumers, review and try to find ways to improve the organization’s logistical chain, and propose ways of minimizing transportation costs and time.
Nowadays, logisticians plan and track the transport of products through software programs designed specifically for this field.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), logisticians held about 174,900 jobs in the United States in 2018.
The median annual salary for this profession was $74,750 in May 2019, according to BLS.
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This number shows that half of all logisticians earned less than this amount and half earned more.
Salaries vary depending on many factors, such as experience, skills, the industry of employment, region, or local economy.
Your experience and education can help you earned more or less than this amount.
Earning a bachelor’s degree, related work experience and a certificate from APICS (Association for Supply Chain Management) or the International Society of Logistics will likely improve your earnings prospects.
The top 10 percent of logisticians earned more than $120,400 while the lowest 10 percent made less than $44,020 a year.
Logistician Salary by Industry
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest employer for logisticians was the manufacturing industry, a sector that hired approximately 24% of all logisticians.
The federal government hired 18% of all logisticians while 16% of them worked for in the industry of professional, scientific, and technical services.
Many other logisticians worked in the sector of management of companies and enterprises and in the field of wholesale trade.
The median annual wages varied depending on the industry of employment.
Logisticians who worked for the federal government earned a median annual salary of $85,450 a year.
This means that half of all logisticians employed by the federal government earned less than this and half earned more.
The biggest employer for logisticians, the manufacturing industry, offered a median annual wage for this profession of $76,480.
The median annual salaries for logisticians employed in the field of management of companies and enterprises was $75,010, while those who work in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector earned $72,340; logisticians who worked in wholesale trade made around $65,820 a year.
Logistician Salary by Education
If you want to start a career as a logistician, you can improve your earning prospects by getting a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, supply chain management, or business.
Having a few years of experience as a dispatcher, clerk, or in another logistical support role will also help you find a better-paying entry-level job in this profession.
According to the Association For Supply Chain Management (ASCM), supply chain professionals who have at least one APICS certification earned a median salary that is 21% higher than the wages earned by those who don’t have any certification and 18% higher than the salaries reported by employees who have a different certification.
ASCM reports that supply chain professionals who hold a bachelor’s degree earned a median annual salary of $78,750 while those who hold an associate’s degree reported a median annual salary of $67,000.
The same association reports that almost three-quarters of supply chain professionals receive paid family/medical leave and more than 80% of them are offered vacation time for three weeks or more.
If you have strong communication and leadership skills you may have the opportunity of being promoted to a better-paid position.
Additional Earnings and Benefits earned by Logisticians
The Association For Supply Chain Management reports that 91% of all supply chain professionals received bonuses, profit sharing, or another form of additional cash compensation which, on average, raised their total compensation by 4.7% in 2019.
* Based on information from the May 2019 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Logisticians. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.