30 DC VELOCITY APRIL 2014 www.dcvelocity.com
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at $181,077 were better paid than presidents and directors.
They reported average salaries of $146,892 and $124,630,
respectively.
From there, it’s a big drop down to the lower levels.
Managers made over $37,000 less than directors, and
supervisors earned approximately $23,000 less than managers. Exhibit 1 shows the average salary for each title.
EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION COUNT
Job title may carry the most weight, but many other factors
influence how much an individual logistics or supply chain
professional makes. The region where you work, which
industry you work in, your level of education, and how
long you’ve been in the business will typically play a big role
in determining your salary.
Let’s start with education. Did your parents advise you to
go to college so you’d make more money? They knew what
they were talking about. Exhibit 2 illustrates the strong
correlation between earnings and education. The average
salary for respondents with only a high school diploma
was $97,450. It was a big step up from there to a bachelor’s
degree—the highest level of education for nearly half of the
survey respondents; those respondents took home an average salary of $121,113. A master’s degree (either in the field
or in business) was worth an additional $24,000.
Experience in the field also influences earnings (see
Exhibit 3). The average salary of newcomers to the profession (those with five or fewer years of experience in
logistics) was $85,620, while the median for that group was
a respectable $77,000. Once you get up in the range of 16
years or more of logistics experience, both the average and
the median salaries climb to well above $100,000. With an
average salary of $148,675 and a median of $120,000, those
who have been in the business longest (respondents with
more than 25 years’ experience) command a hefty premium for their expertise.
As Exhibit 4 shows, which industry you work in can have
an enormous impact on your salary. Since nearly half of
respondents are at the director level or above, it’s not sur-
prising that most of the industry averages exceed $100,000.
The highest-paying industries include such high-growth
sectors as third-party logistics ($160,357), pharmaceuti-
cal and health care ($136,526), and apparel and footwear
($136,569). On the opposite end of the scale are the peren-
nially lower-paying industries like furniture and fixtures, at
$87,222, and government and military, at $69,605.
Industry Average salary
Apparel and footwear $136,569
Automotive $104,445
Chemicals and allied products $96,133
Consumer packaged goods $112,573
Contract warehousing $96,750
Electronic and electrical equipment
& components $126,391
Food & grocery $116,879
Furniture and fixtures $87,222
Government and military $69,605
Lumber and wood products $126,000
Paper and allied products $101,250
Pharmaceutical and health care $136,526
Printing, publishing, and allied industries $99,500
Third-party logistics services $160,357
Transportation equipment $128,759
Transportation services $115,540
Wholesale/Retail $119,048
EXHIBIT 4
Salary by industry
What makes you happy … or not?
As part of this year’s annual salary survey, we asked respondents how they feel about their profession: Are they satisfied
with their choice? Would they recommend it to others? What
do they like most about their jobs? What do they like least?
Here’s a quick look at what they had to say.
b The vast majority of respondents—88 percent—are satisfied with their career in logistics. Just 12 percent regret their
choice. The same percentages said they would (or would not)
recommend the profession to a young person.
b Respondents like the logistics profession’s fast pace; the
variety of responsibilities, projects, and challenges; and its
dynamic and flexible nature. “There’s always a new challenge,
and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow,” said
one survey taker. Another likes “the ability to effect change,
set strategy, and impact decision making.”
b There were plenty of complaints, too. Compliance with
constantly changing regulations, being stretched too thin
with inadequate resources, bureaucracy and politics, corporate roadblocks to efficiency and productivity, and the failure
to understand logistics’ contributions were among the things
respondents like least about their jobs.
b What would make survey takers happier in their work
(besides a raise)? Some responses were specific to the individual, such as more vacation time, less travel, and more
