Stockers and Order Fillers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-7065 · O*NET 53-7065.00

Median salary
$37,090
Rank #743 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
+8.5%
2024–2034, fast
Employment
2779.5M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
3.0M
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays.

Stockers and Order Fillers fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Stockers and Order Fillers earn a median salary of $37,090 per year, ranking in the top 92% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +8.5% job growth through 2034, projected to grow faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do stockers and order fillers earn?

The median annual wage for stockers and order fillers is $37,090. That puts stockers and order fillers at #743 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Full salary distribution (national, BLS 2024)
10th percentile (entry-level)$29,850
25th percentile$33,710
50th percentile (median)$37,090
75th percentile$43,140
90th percentile (top earners)$49,200
Median hourly wage$17.83/hr

Is stockers and order fillers a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for stockers and order fillers is +8.5%, projected to grow faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 2.8M positions in 2024 to 3.0M in 2034, a net change of 235K. Faster-than-average growth means hiring is consistently outpacing the labor market overall. New entrants generally find their first roles faster than peers in stable fields.

What do stockers and order fillers do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working stockers and order fillers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Issue or distribute materials, products, parts, and supplies to customers or coworkers, based on information from incoming requisitions.
  2. 2.Obtain merchandise from bins or shelves.
  3. 3.Receive and count stock items, and record data manually or on computer.
  4. 4.Receive, unload, open, unpack, or issue sales floor merchandise.
  5. 5.Pack customer purchases in bags or cartons.
  6. 6.Store items in an orderly and accessible manner in warehouses, tool rooms, supply rooms, or other areas.
  7. 7.Keep records on the use or damage of stock or stock-handling equipment.
  8. 8.Clean and maintain supplies, tools, equipment, and storage areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Top skills for stockers and order fillers

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

Active Listening
3.3
Reading Comprehension
3.0
Monitoring
2.9
Service Orientation
2.9
Speaking
2.9
Social Perceptiveness
2.9
Coordination
2.8

What education does my child need to become stockers and order filler?

Many stockers and order fillers enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Actual education levels of working stockers and order fillers

Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.

High school diploma
56.6%
Some college courses
29.6%
Less than high school
7.8%
Associate's degree
3.7%
Post-secondary certificate
2.1%
Bachelor's degree
0.3%

Related careers your child might also consider

How parents help teens explore careers like this

Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.

Common questions parents ask about stockers and order fillers

What is the median salary for stockers and order fillers?

The median annual salary for stockers and order fillers is $37,090 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is stockers and order fillers a growing career?

BLS projects +8.5% growth for stockers and order fillers from 2024 through 2034, which is fast growth projected to grow faster than the US average.

What education does my child need to become stockers and order filler?

The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.

What careers are similar to stockers and order fillers?

Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.