Transportation and Material Moving: S-Corp Reasonable Salary Benchmarks
50 occupations, with medians from $35,150 to $232,140. 17 of them clear $60,000, roughly the point at which an S-corp election starts repaying its own overhead.
Transportation businesses carry heavy equipment costs, so a genuine share of the return is on the vehicles rather than the driving. An owner-operator still has to pay themselves for the driving.
| Occupation | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $182,280 | $232,140 | $384,440 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $104,520 | $148,080 | $190,570 |
| Commercial Pilots | $84,540 | $123,220 | $190,440 |
| Ship Engineers | $82,130 | $109,530 | $135,760 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $63,880 | $92,460 | $127,180 |
| Transportation Inspectors | $58,780 | $92,100 | $108,890 |
| Subway and Streetcar Operators | $61,980 | $86,380 | $90,140 |
| Locomotive Engineers | $75,190 | $81,410 | $93,260 |
| Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | $65,610 | $78,000 | $83,820 |
| Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | $58,580 | $77,320 | $91,020 |
| Wellhead Pumpers | $52,330 | $69,960 | $82,200 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $57,820 | $68,840 | $76,590 |
| Crane and Tower Operators | $52,600 | $68,080 | $83,200 |
| Flight Attendants | $51,760 | $63,580 | $95,640 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $50,070 | $62,890 | $78,160 |
| Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers | $47,560 | $61,770 | $77,210 |
| Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | $52,780 | $60,600 | $80,360 |
| Traffic Technicians (below the S-corp threshold) | $46,440 | $59,090 | $75,850 |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,530 | $59,050 | $70,700 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders (below the S-corp threshold) | $46,300 | $58,870 | $70,060 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,960 | $58,640 | $69,120 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (below the S-corp threshold) | $49,820 | $58,170 | $78,530 |
| Bridge and Lock Tenders (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,640 | $57,700 | $69,620 |
| Airfield Operations Specialists (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,000 | $56,850 | $77,340 |
| Hoist and Winch Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,690 | $56,450 | $94,350 |
| Rail Transportation Workers, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,570 | $56,360 | $74,090 |
| Sailors and Marine Oilers (below the S-corp threshold) | $41,430 | $51,520 | $67,590 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors (below the S-corp threshold) | $39,080 | $49,690 | $62,020 |
| Dredge Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $46,430 | $49,640 | $62,070 |
| Bus Drivers, School (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,650 | $47,920 | $58,430 |
| Motorboat Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,760 | $47,520 | $69,010 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,030 | $46,420 | $54,770 |
| Transportation Workers, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,240 | $45,650 | $60,400 |
| Light Truck Drivers (below the S-corp threshold) | $37,270 | $44,860 | $52,310 |
| Conveyor Operators and Tenders (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,180 | $42,420 | $48,530 |
| Taxi Drivers (below the S-corp threshold) | $37,790 | $42,100 | $60,960 |
| Material Moving Workers, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,600 | $41,800 | $50,220 |
| Machine Feeders and Offbearers (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,420 | $41,220 | $48,480 |
| Aircraft Service Attendants (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,740 | $40,450 | $46,830 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,090 | $40,240 | $46,920 |
| Driver/Sales Workers (below the S-corp threshold) | $30,200 | $38,770 | $49,000 |
| Passenger Attendants (below the S-corp threshold) | $31,240 | $37,720 | $41,680 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers (below the S-corp threshold) | $34,450 | $37,330 | $44,650 |
| Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs (below the S-corp threshold) | $32,710 | $37,290 | $45,700 |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $31,220 | $37,180 | $48,980 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand (below the S-corp threshold) | $32,220 | $36,280 | $43,060 |
| Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment (below the S-corp threshold) | $30,420 | $35,830 | $41,040 |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants (below the S-corp threshold) | $31,300 | $35,670 | $39,320 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians (below the S-corp threshold) | $30,750 | $35,450 | $38,410 |
| Parking Attendants (below the S-corp threshold) | $29,960 | $35,150 | $37,670 |
What is a reasonable salary for a transportation S-corp owner?
It depends on the specific occupation, which is why the table lists all 50 separately instead of giving one number for the group. 17 carry a median at or above $60,000, roughly where an S-corp election starts repaying its overhead. Medians here run $35,150 to $232,140.
National figures, and a percentile is evidence rather than an answer.Model your own state and profit, or see all occupation groups.