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Logistics Manager

$107,230
median / year
$65,120 – $194,900
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Direct how products are stored and shipped, manage warehouses and drivers, and keep supply chains moving.

You may also see this posted as: Distribution Center Manager, Fleet Manager, Logistics Operations Manager, Supply Chain Logistics Manager, Distribution Manager, Global Transportation Manager.

Where you work

Warehouses, distribution centers, and offices

The hours

Full-time, some nights and weekends

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
  • Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
  • Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
  • Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
  • Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityLeadership OrientationIntegrityAttention to Detail

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointWarehouse management system WMSAutodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$107,230
per year
Hourly median
$51.55
per hour
What most earn
$65,120–$194,900
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~18,500
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+6.1%
Faster than average
Working in the U.S.
221,180
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.

BLS estimates 1.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: Works up from operations.

Related work experience: 5 years or more.

On-the-job training: None.

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.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Supply-chain planningLeadershipProblem-solvingData analysis

The honest take

Coordinates how goods move — a rare six-figure ladder you can climb from the warehouse floor without a degree.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-3071. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.