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Hand Packer

$35,580
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Pack, wrap, and label products by hand, then sort them for shipping along a production or fulfillment line.

Where you work

Warehouses, factories, and packing lines

The hours

Shift work, including nights and weekends

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$35,580
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~74,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-5%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
591,800
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Manual dexteritySpeedAttention to detailPhysical stamina

The honest take

Entry-level line work anyone can start fast, but automation keeps chipping away at these roles.

Standard Occupational Classification 53-7064. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.