Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
26 metro areas in Texas publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 199,250 jobs. The three largest employers of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand are Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (81,940 jobs), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (52,520 jobs), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (13,900 jobs), which hold 74.5% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $30,690 to $43,390 a year, against $37,540 for the whole state and $40,240 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $40,240 a year for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $31,270 and the highest-paid tenth over $55,140). Employment is projected to change by +1.8% between 2025 and 2035, with about 340,500 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Texas: the highest median pay is in the Tyler, TX area ($43,390 a year); the most jobs are in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (81,940). Statewide the median is $37,540 with 216,970 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler, TX | 2,800 | $43,390 | $29,170 | $48,290 | 1.28 | 34% | 92.2 |
| Midland, TX | 1,500 | $41,910 | $30,440 | $49,540 | 0.65 | 40% | 95.8 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 970 | $40,770 | $30,880 | $45,420 | 0.98 | 39% | 93.8 |
| Odessa, TX | 1,230 | $39,600 | $30,350 | $48,110 | 0.80 | 38% | 93.9 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 13,900 | $38,530 | $30,040 | $51,030 | 0.57 | 54% | 98.1 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 81,940 | $38,510 | $30,400 | $54,320 | 1.07 | 50% | 103.1 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 52,520 | $38,000 | $29,660 | $52,270 | 0.84 | 45% | 98.6 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 1,660 | $37,870 | $28,740 | $49,900 | 0.58 | 39% | 91.1 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 2,010 | $37,660 | $29,190 | $49,660 | 0.65 | 35% | 90.0 |
| Longview, TX | 1,890 | $37,590 | $28,430 | $48,120 | 0.84 | 34% | 89.5 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 13,440 | $37,470 | $29,370 | $49,870 | 0.63 | 44% | 94.7 |
| Amarillo, TX | 1,650 | $37,060 | $27,810 | $47,190 | 0.70 | 35% | 91.8 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 920 | $36,710 | $27,900 | $53,040 | 0.84 | 31% | 84.0 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 2,470 | $36,410 | $27,380 | $50,160 | 0.68 | 42% | 92.7 |
| Abilene, TX | 830 | $35,810 | $25,860 | $45,110 | 0.58 | 38% | 90.4 |
| El Paso, TX | 5,140 | $35,550 | $27,160 | $45,570 | 0.80 | 36% | 89.9 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 1,300 | $35,350 | $28,920 | $45,030 | 0.51 | 40% | 91.0 |
| Waco, TX | 1,980 | $35,270 | $29,210 | $48,170 | 0.80 | 39% | 92.5 |
| Victoria, TX | 500 | $35,180 | $28,620 | $44,740 | 0.69 | 39% | 89.8 |
| Lubbock, TX | 1,920 | $35,130 | $27,240 | $44,750 | 0.61 | 40% | 91.3 |
| San Angelo, TX | 560 | $34,790 | $25,870 | $44,880 | 0.60 | 40% | 92.5 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 680 | $34,420 | $27,960 | $44,100 | 0.64 | 35% | 89.5 |
| Laredo, TX | 2,430 | $32,480 | $23,950 | $45,620 | 1.17 | 38% | 87.0 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1,810 | $32,300 | $23,890 | $46,150 | 0.61 | 34% | 86.0 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 3,100 | $31,610 | $21,950 | $42,750 | 0.55 | 36% | 85.9 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 100 | $30,690 | $26,120 | $46,620 | 0.27 | n/a | n/a |
National page: Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand →Cities of Texas
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Tyler, TX area, with a median of $43,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area, with 81,940 jobs.