# Logisticians

US SOC code 13-1081. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/13-1081

Also called: Logistics coordinator, Supply chain coordinator, Supply chain specialist, Logistics specialist, Inventory manager.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **251,040** US logisticians, with median pay of **$82,320** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2004, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://web.archive.org/web/20251231155029/https://quartermasterfoundation.org/the-qm-school-past-and-present/) of **35,000** from 1944, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for logisticians: Real-time visibility platforms + cloud TMS, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 17.6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1081&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **45.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Logisticians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1780
- Latest US employment: 251,040 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $82,320 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +17.6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1944 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Col. Lloyd L. Cobb [1] |
| 1963 | 45,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., CSCMP [2] |
| 1965 | n/a | $8,500 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [6] |
| 1990 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., SCMDOJO [3] |
| 2000 | 92,000 (estimate) | $52,000 (estimate) | Est., BLS (employment) [4]; Est., BLS OES 2000 (pay) [7] |
| 2004 | 52,470 | $57,110 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 52,220 | $60,110 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 79,570 | $63,430 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 90,340 | $64,250 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 98,590 | $66,480 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 100,420 | $67,960 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 104,800 | $70,800 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 112,310 | $71,910 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 119,560 | $72,780 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 120,340 | $73,400 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 125,670 | $73,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 133,770 | $74,260 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 146,060 | $74,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 159,800 | $74,590 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 169,820 | $74,600 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 182,050 | $74,750 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 184,230 | $76,270 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 189,320 | $77,030 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 202,970 | $77,520 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 228,470 | $79,400 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 235,640 | $80,880 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 251,040 | $82,320 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (86)

### Employment series

1. [Col. Lloyd L. Cobb, "The Quartermaster School" (The Quartermaster Review, May-June 1946), republished by the Quartermaster Foundation -- "The QM School: Past and Present" (Quartermaster School training data, 1940-1945)](https://web.archive.org/web/20251231155029/https://quartermasterfoundation.org/the-qm-school-past-and-present/), Quartermaster Foundation (Quartermaster Review, 1946)
2. [CSCMP -- "CSCMP Celebrates 50 Years of Serving Supply Chain Management Professionals" (PRNewswire, 2013; NCPDM founding context)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cscmp-celebrates-50-years-of-serving-supply-chain-management-professionals-around-the-world-190677681.html), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
3. [Evolution of Supply Chain Management and Logistics -- SCMDOJO (historical profession context, 1985-1995)](https://www.scmdojo.com/history-and-evolution-of-supply-chain-and-logistics/), SCMDOJO
4. [BLS -- 2000 Standard Occupational Classification system introduction (SOC 13-1081 Logisticians)](https://www.bls.gov/soc/2000/soc_majo.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [University of Missouri Libraries -- Prices and Wages by Decade: 1960-1969 (BLS historical wages, managers in manufacturing)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1960-1969), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
7. [BLS OES 2000 -- Wages for Business and Financial Operations occupations (pre-SOC-2000 classification context)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2000/oes_nat.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [Mecalux / Interlake Mecalux -- "Logistics history: origin and development" (pre-industrial logistics era overview)](https://www.interlakemecalux.com/blog/logistics-history-origin), Interlake Mecalux
11. [Britannica -- "Logistics: Supply Chain, Planning, Operations -- Management" (history of freight management and ICC regulation)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/logistics-military/Management), Encyclopaedia Britannica
12. [DHL Delivered -- "History of Supply Chain Management" (railroad era freight logistics overview)](https://www.dhl.com/global-en/delivered/global-trade/history-of-supply-chain-management.html), DHL
13. [US Army Transportation Corps -- "On the Road to Victory: The Red Ball Express" (Red Ball Express operational scale, August-November 1944)](https://transportation.army.mil/history/studies/red_ball_express.html), US Army Transportation Corps and Transportation School
14. [Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Wikipedia -- APICS founded 1957 as American Production and Inventory Control Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_for_Supply_Chain_Management), Wikipedia / ASCM
15. [CSCMP -- "CSCMP Celebrates 50 Years" (NCPDM founding 1963, profession development context)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cscmp-celebrates-50-years-of-serving-supply-chain-management-professionals-around-the-world-190677681.html), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
16. [SCMDOJO -- "Evolution of Supply Chain Management and Logistics" (MRP systems, 1960s-1970s logistics technology)](https://www.scmdojo.com/history-and-evolution-of-supply-chain-and-logistics/), SCMDOJO
17. [Booz Allen Hamilton -- "Keith Oliver and the Birth of Supply Chain Management" (term coined 1982; systems context)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260710075111/https://www.boozallen.com/about/our-heritage/keith-oliver-and-the-birth-of-supply-chain-management.html), Booz Allen Hamilton
18. [BLS Spotlight -- "Keeping America Moving: Employment in Transportation and Warehousing Industries" (2024; e-commerce logistics growth context)](https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2024/keeping-america-moving-employment-in-transportation-and-warehousing-industries/home.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Redwood Logistics -- "History of Supply Chain Management: Evolution Over Time" (internet era supply chain development)](https://www.redwoodlogistics.com/insights/the-history-of-supply-chain-management), Redwood Logistics
20. [project44 -- Movement by project44: Decision Intelligence Platform for supply chains (2025; company history and logistics visibility technology context)](https://www.project44.com/platform), project44
21. [FourKites -- AI-Powered Supply Chain Visibility Platform (2025; platform history and network scale)](https://www.fourkites.com/platform/), FourKites
22. [Kinaxis -- Meet Maestro, the AI-powered orchestration platform for supply chain (Kinaxis product page)](https://www.kinaxis.com/en/maestro), Kinaxis
23. [McKinsey -- "Beyond automation: How gen AI is reshaping supply chains" (logistics cost and service level improvement statistics)](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/beyond-automation-how-gen-ai-is-reshaping-supply-chains), McKinsey and Company
24. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Logisticians (2024-2034 projections: 17% growth)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 13-1081 Logisticians (2025: 255.1 thousand; 2035: 300.0 thousand; +17.6%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-1081&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 13-1081.00, human-rated β 0.455)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [US Army Transportation Corps -- "On the Road to Victory: The Red Ball Express" (Red Ball Express operational data)](https://transportation.army.mil/history/studies/red_ball_express.html), US Army Transportation Corps and Transportation School
28. [SCMDOJO -- "Evolution of Supply Chain Management and Logistics" (Drucker 1962 "Dark Continent" article context)](https://www.scmdojo.com/history-and-evolution-of-supply-chain-and-logistics/), SCMDOJO
29. [Booz Allen Hamilton -- "Keith Oliver and the Birth of Supply Chain Management" (June 4, 1982 FT interview)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260710075111/https://www.boozallen.com/about/our-heritage/keith-oliver-and-the-birth-of-supply-chain-management.html), Booz Allen Hamilton
30. [BLS -- 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 13-1081 introduction)](https://www.bls.gov/soc/2000/soc_majo.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
31. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Logisticians (2024; employment context and COVID supply chain impact)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
32. [Coursera / ASCM -- "A Quick Guide to APICS CLTD Certification" (CLTD launch 2016, credential context)](https://www.coursera.org/articles/cltd), Coursera / ASCM

### Predecessors & successors

33. [Col. Lloyd L. Cobb, "The Quartermaster School" (The Quartermaster Review, May-June 1946), republished by the Quartermaster Foundation -- "The QM School: Past and Present" (WWII Quartermaster officer training pipeline)](https://web.archive.org/web/20251231155029/https://quartermasterfoundation.org/the-qm-school-past-and-present/), Quartermaster Foundation (Quartermaster Review, 1946)
34. [Britannica -- "Logistics: Supply Chain, Planning, Operations" (traffic manager predecessor role)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/logistics-military/Management), Encyclopaedia Britannica
35. [BLS OOH -- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071): 9% growth 2024-34](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/transportation-storage-and-distribution-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Logisticians (13-1081.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1081.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [McKinsey Global Institute — The Economic Potential of Generative AI (2023)](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Goldman Sachs — The Jobs AI Is Likely to Boost and Those It May Disrupt (2025)](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-jobs-ai-is-likely-to-boost-and-those-it-may-disrupt), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Logisticians (2024–2034)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [APICS / ASCM — Supply Chain AI Adoption Survey (2025)](https://www.ascm.org/supply-chain-management-now/issues-and-insights/ai-in-supply-chain/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Blue Yonder — AI-Native Supply Chain Platform (2025)](https://blueyonder.com/solutions/supply-chain-planning), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Manhattan Associates — Active WMS AI Capabilities (2025)](https://www.manh.com/solutions/warehouse-management), accessed 2026-05-23
- [project44 — Movement AI Real-Time Visibility Platform (2025)](https://www.project44.com/platform), accessed 2026-06-21
- [FourKites — AI-Powered Supply Chain Visibility (2025)](https://www.fourkites.com/platform/), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.