Warehousing and storage (NAICS 493) is one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries, with 38% growth since 2001. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the sector and its nearly uninterrupted crescendo.
We use Analyst (EMSI’s web-based labor market analysis tool) to study data from EMSI’s 2012.1 Complete Employment data release. Please note that preliminary 2012 data is still a projection.
See our main post in this series here.
OVERVIEW
The biggest spurts hit in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. Since its 4.5% dive in 2008-2009, the industry has climbed back up 4.8%, mostly in 2011-2012.
The U.S. currently has an estimated 750,000 warehousing & storage jobs, with annual earnings per job averaging at $45,000. Male workers are a majority (63%). Nearly a quarter of workers are ages 45-54 and another 17.6% are 55 and older.
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- The industry has the biggest presence in California (80,568 jobs), Pennsylvania (61,591), Texas (60,433), Illinois (47,651), and Ohio (40,930).
- It is scarcest in Washington, D.C. (90 jobs), North Dakota (465), Montana (623), and Alaska (673).
- Wyoming (533%), Texas (153%), and Pennsylvania (108%) have seen the biggest growth in jobs, but all except for seven states have grown at least a bit. The lowest is Missouri at 4%.
- Washington D.C. (-87%), Arkansas (-26%), Colorado (-24%), and Michigan (-14%) have suffered the worst losses since 2001.
- Maryland ($54,283), Massachusetts ($54,255), Michigan ($53,224), and New Jersey ($52,953) boast the highest annual wages.
- The industry’s concentration (or specialization) is highest in Arkansas (2.09 LQ), New Jersey (1.8), Kentucky (1.7), Mississippi (1.67), and Georgia (1.55). States with the least concentration are Montana (0.18 LQ), Wyoming (0.23), North Dakota (0.24), Hawaii (0.26), and Washington, D.C. (0.28). (For the lowdown on concentration, click here.)
This table shows the states ordered by the number of jobs in 2012:
| 50 States | Regional Breakdown for Warehousing and Storage (493) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2001 Jobs | 2012 Jobs | % Change | 2011 Avg. Annual Wage | 2001 National LQ |
| California | 64,005 | 80,568 | 26% | $49,603 | 0.99 |
| Pennsylvania | 29,661 | 61,591 | 108% | $46,894 | 1.31 |
| Texas | 23,906 | 60,433 | 153% | $40,963 | 0.60 |
| Illinois | 35,706 | 47,651 | 33% | $48,082 | 1.49 |
| Ohio | 24,647 | 40,930 | 66% | $45,757 | 1.12 |
| Florida | 23,954 | 33,763 | 41% | $40,489 | 0.81 |
| Georgia | 24,886 | 30,635 | 23% | $46,325 | 1.55 |
| New Jersey | 28,085 | 30,554 | 9% | $52,953 | 1.80 |
| Indiana | 17,708 | 24,545 | 39% | $39,432 | 1.51 |
| New York | 17,950 | 23,845 | 33% | $44,632 | 0.52 |
| North Carolina | 18,019 | 21,012 | 17% | $41,808 | 1.13 |
| Virginia | 18,534 | 19,981 | 8% | $40,477 | 1.28 |
| Kentucky | 12,693 | 18,719 | 47% | $40,547 | 1.70 |
| Tennessee | 10,198 | 16,893 | 66% | $42,190 | 0.91 |
| Wisconsin | 10,310 | 15,592 | 51% | $43,677 | 0.93 |
| Michigan | 16,474 | 14,087 | (14%) | $53,224 | 0.91 |
| Missouri | 13,075 | 13,590 | 4% | $43,668 | 1.15 |
| Iowa | 7,722 | 12,616 | 63% | $43,050 | 1.24 |
| Maryland | 9,744 | 12,197 | 25% | $54,283 | 0.95 |
| Massachusetts | 10,318 | 11,168 | 8% | $54,255 | 0.77 |
| South Carolina | 8,382 | 11,059 | 32% | $37,320 | 1.13 |
| Arizona | 6,621 | 10,676 | 61% | $41,122 | 0.71 |
| Washington | 8,357 | 10,583 | 27% | $49,115 | 0.72 |
| Mississippi | 7,938 | 9,996 | 26% | $37,865 | 1.67 |
| Alabama | 7,185 | 9,576 | 33% | $40,940 | 0.92 |
| Nevada | 4,864 | 9,519 | 96% | $41,858 | 1.16 |
| Louisiana | 7,280 | 9,399 | 29% | $48,309 | 0.93 |
| Kansas | 6,176 | 8,961 | 45% | $42,504 | 1.07 |
| Connecticut | 6,037 | 8,868 | 47% | $51,785 | 0.88 |
| Utah | 5,501 | 8,773 | 59% | $42,691 | 1.22 |
| Minnesota | 8,220 | 7,991 | (3%) | $45,492 | 0.75 |
| Arkansas | 10,128 | 7,455 | (26%) | $40,604 | 2.09 |
| Colorado | 9,593 | 7,276 | (24%) | $42,004 | 0.99 |
| Oregon | 7,655 | 7,253 | (5%) | $46,769 | 1.12 |
| Nebraska | 2,723 | 5,303 | 95% | $35,870 | 0.71 |
| Maine | 2,582 | 4,704 | 82% | $40,958 | 0.99 |
| Oklahoma | 4,119 | 4,309 | 5% | $36,800 | 0.62 |
| New Hampshire | 2,522 | 2,460 | (2%) | $45,504 | 0.97 |
| Idaho | 1,503 | 2,316 | 54% | $34,173 | 0.58 |
| Delaware | 1,274 | 2,160 | 70% | $51,802 | 0.78 |
| West Virginia | 1,417 | 1,803 | 27% | $34,686 | 0.49 |
| New Mexico | 1,127 | 1,615 | 43% | $39,256 | 0.35 |
| Wyoming | 251 | 1,590 | 533% | $38,754 | 0.23 |
| Rhode Island | 1,043 | 1,390 | 33% | $43,015 | 0.55 |
| Vermont | 785 | 1,064 | 36% | $37,574 | 0.59 |
| South Dakota | 630 | 848 | 35% | $36,607 | 0.38 |
| Hawaii | 652 | 844 | 29% | $40,253 | 0.26 |
| Alaska | 527 | 673 | 28% | $46,451 | 0.40 |
| Montana | 331 | 623 | 88% | $20,877 | 0.18 |
| North Dakota | 351 | 465 | 32% | $29,890 | 0.24 |
| District of Columbia | 673 | 90 | (87%) | $49,975 | 0.28 |
STAFFING PATTERNS
Half of the top 14 most common occupations in the warehousing & storage industry are related to real estate & rental & leasing (SOC 53). Four are related to office and administrative support (SOC 43). No hefty degree requirements for these jobs; they require short- to medium-term on-the-job training, or simply work experience in a related field.
| 50 States | Staffing Patterns for Warehousing and Storage (493) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOC Code | Occupation | Employed in Industry (2001) | Employed in Industry (2011) | Employed in Industry (2012) | Change | % Change | % of the Total Jobs in Industry (2011) | 2011 Median Hourly Wage | Education Level |
| 53-7062 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 114,720 | 149,561 | 154,754 | 40,034 | 35% | 20.7% | $11.32 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 53-7051 | Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 60,536 | 77,329 | 79,569 | 19,033 | 31% | 10.7% | $14.38 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 43-5081 | Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 41,086 | 54,827 | 56,675 | 15,589 | 38% | 7.6% | $10.22 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 53-7064 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | 31,991 | 41,347 | 42,554 | 10,563 | 33% | 5.7% | $9.79 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 11-9199 | Managers, All Other | 9,165 | 34,872 | 38,727 | 29,562 | 323% | 4.8% | $23.96 | Work experience in a related occupation |
| 43-5071 | Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks | 26,466 | 32,386 | 33,204 | 6,738 | 25% | 4.5% | $13.65 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 53-3032 | Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer | 24,018 | 30,936 | 31,889 | 7,871 | 33% | 4.3% | $17.85 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 43-4051 | Customer Service Representatives | 8,913 | 14,169 | 14,811 | 5,898 | 66% | 2.0% | $14.68 | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| 11-3071 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 7,687 | 14,002 | 15,000 | 7,313 | 95% | 1.9% | $36.64 | Work experience in a related occupation |
| 53-1021 | First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand | 11,195 | 13,726 | 14,070 | 2,875 | 26% | 1.9% | $20.60 | Work experience in a related occupation |
| 53-7063 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 12,281 | 12,894 | 12,996 | 715 | 6% | 1.8% | $12.75 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 53-3033 | Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services | 10,254 | 12,327 | 12,639 | 2,385 | 23% | 1.7% | $13.66 | Short-term on-the-job training |
| 49-9042 | Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 7,886 | 11,526 | 11,996 | 4,110 | 52% | 1.6% | $16.75 | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| 43-9061 | Office Clerks, General | 8,963 | 11,318 | 11,643 | 2,680 | 30% | 1.6% | $12.71 | Short-term on-the-job training |
Data and analysis come from Analyst, EMSI’s web-based labor market tool. If you would like to learn more, please contact us. Find out more about EMSI and our data here. You can reach us via Twitter @DesktopEcon or by emailing Rob Sentz (rob@economicmodeling.com).
Good analysis, this market is increasing and need for storage will increase.
The need for warehouses for storage of things is increasing day by day. This sector is increasing in growth with every year. Amazing analysis dear!
Amazing data analysis,this analysis shows that, the industry of Warehousing and Storage will grow in future.
That’s pretty interesting data you have pulled and thats relevant there is no doubt as we all know the online purchases have increased dramatically over the last decade and is continuing to rise more than previous year last year single thanks forgiven day sale took $1 billion online sales that’s far more than expected, $224 billion was the revenue generated from online sale’s so that means by 2020 this industry will grown more than 55% on Annual bases, warehousing and distribution is growing all over the world even here in New Zealand we are seeing alot of growth in the industry, new inventory systems being implemented, new safety standard being implemented and information seminar’s being carried out so overall its quite good and creating alot of jobs in the market.
When I first started in the storage and warehousing business, I did not have a clue about it. At that time, the storage industry was nowhere near the current state. There was a demand, but we do not know how to service this demand properly even though we have the supply and the capacity of storage. Fast forward to where we are right now, the industry has improved not only in maximizing storage space, but in the service and technology in order to deliver the best storage solutions.