Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: $40K vs $50K Median Pay

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: what changes?

Consider Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand if you want to manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Consider Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors if you would rather collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand and Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

National median pay (2025): $40,240
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Maintain equipment storage areas to ensure that inventory is protected.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 340,500

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand brief

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

National median pay (2025): $49,690
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 15,500

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors brief

How the national numbers differ

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand has the edge on annual openings

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is at 340,500 annual openings, compared with 15,500 annual openings for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors.

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors has the edge on median pay

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors is at $49,690, compared with $40,240 for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors has the edge on projected growth

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors is at 2.1% projected growth, compared with 1.8% projected growth for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.

54.9/ 100

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

54/ 100

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Dimension	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Median pay (2025)	$40,240	$49,690
Pay percentile	11.6 percentile	31.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.8%	2.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	340,500	15,500
2025 employment	2,940,300	156,400
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand brief Read Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors brief

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

How the national numbers differ

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand has the edge on annual openings

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors has the edge on median pay

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors has the edge on projected growth

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Try another comparison

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Parking Attendants

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand vs Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors vs Hoist and Winch Operators

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors vs Sailors and Marine Oilers