What is the salary and career path for a warehouse supervisor?
Warehouse supervisors are counted in First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, SOC 53-1047, a close match whose OEWS May 2025 median is $62,890 a year ($30.23 an hour), from $43,360 at the 10th percentile to $96,150 at the 90th. It is a first-line role reached by promotion from the floor rather than through a degree, so pay tracks the size of the crew, the shift and the sector. BLS projects 3.7% employment growth over 2024–2034 with about 61,300 openings a year across the supervisor code. There is no licence, but the supervisor carries hands-on OSHA duties — powered industrial truck operator evaluation under 29 CFR 1910.178(l), plus racking, lockout/tagout and material-handling enforcement on the shift.
- Warehouse Supervisors earn a national median $62,890/yr ($30.23/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-1047); the top 10% clear $96,150.
- It is a first-line role reached by promotion from the floor — related work experience, not a degree, and no licence — though the supervisor personally executes OSHA 1910.178(l) forklift evaluations.
- BLS projects 3.7% growth 2024–34 with about 61,300 openings a year across SOC 53-1047; the top 10% clear $96,150.
- The ladder runs lead ($43,360) to supervisor ($62,890 median) to senior supervisor ($78,160) to warehouse manager, where pay crosses into six figures under SOC 11-3071.
Career Path
How do you become a warehouse supervisor?
Warehouse lead
Directing a small crew on a function while still on the tools; lead pay sits near the 10th percentile of $43,360 for the supervisor code.
Warehouse supervisor
Owning a shift's labour assignment, output and safety on the floor, around the $62,890 median for SOC 53-1047.
Senior or operations supervisor
Running multiple departments or the whole shift and coaching supervisors pays toward the 75th percentile of $78,160.
Warehouse or operations manager
Stepping up to own a building's budget and headcount reaches the 90th percentile of $96,150 and crosses into the management code SOC 11-3071.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays warehouse supervisors the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-1047. National median: $62,890. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does warehouse supervisor pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles warehouse supervisors most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: warehouse supervisors rank 1 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected +3.7% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly warehouse supervisors clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-1047 (warehouse supervisors) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do warehouse supervisors need?
The employer duty to train and evaluate every forklift operator, re-evaluate at least every three years and retrain after an incident is executed on the floor by the supervisor. See all state licences →
Not legally mandated but the standard supervisory safety training for warehousing, covering hazard communication, material handling and lockout/tagout under 29 CFR 1910.
Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution from ASCM, useful for a supervisor aiming at the warehouse-manager code.
Frequently required of shift supervisors as the responsible person on the floor outside management hours.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do warehouse supervisors use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 53-1047
Salary Levers
How do warehouse supervisors earn above the $62,890 BLS median?
Crew size and shifts supervised
Running a large crew or multiple shifts moves pay from the $43,360 lead band toward the $62,890 median
Sector
Cold-chain, pharmaceutical and 3PL sites pay above general storage, where supervisors cluster nearer the $43,360 tenth percentile
Safety and productivity record
A clean OSHA record and steady units-per-hour are what earn the move toward the $78,160 seventy-fifth percentile and beyond
Promotion into management
Crossing into the warehouse-manager code (SOC 11-3071) is what clears the $96,150 top decile of the supervisor range
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a warehouse supervisor worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-1047. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Warehouse Supervisor Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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