How Much Does Amazon Pay? Hourly Wages by Role

Amazon pay depends on the job. Warehouse and delivery-station roles are paid hourly, corporate and technical jobs are paid on salary with stock on top, and delivery drivers may work for independent contractors instead of Amazon directly. A single average hides a wide spread between those groups.

This page covers pay for people who work for Amazon, from entry-level hourly jobs to salaried roles. It does not cover the company's revenue.

In mid-September 2026, Amazon announced that it was raising the minimum starting wage for full-time core operations employees in the United States to $20/hr, effective September 27. The Associated Press, as carried by Scripps News, reported the announcement, and the figures below follow Amazon's wording.

Amazon said average pay for these employees will reach nearly $24/hr. It also said average total compensation will be more than $32/hr once the value of its benefits package is included. Total compensation is not cash wages, since it adds the estimated value of benefits to pay.

The raise applies to full-time core operations workers who do jobs such as packing and shipping orders. It does not apply to every Amazon role.

Self-reported data from Payscale shows an average across Amazon employees of $20.31/hr, with averages by job title running from $16.10/hr to $30.44/hr.

Pickers are at the low end, averaging $16.36/hr, while safety specialists are at the high end among hourly titles, averaging $25.37/hr. These averages were collected before the September 2026 starting wage change, so entry-level pay now may be higher than what employees reported earlier.

A 2026 pay guide from Gridwise lists typical hourly ranges for common jobs.

Warehouse and fulfillment center associates are listed at $18 – $22/hr, with a national average near $19/hr. Night shift and overnight associates are listed at $18.50 – $24/hr, which includes a shift differential that varies by site. Delivery service partner drivers are listed at $18 – $25/hr. Those drivers are hired by independent delivery companies, not by Amazon, so their pay is set by the company they work for.

The guide was published before the September 2026 announcement, so its starting-wage figures may now be out of date for core operations roles.

Annual figures cover salaried and hourly staff together. On that basis, the Payscale data shows an average of $96,769/yr across Amazon employees, with averages by title between $55,590/yr and $167,153/yr.

Warehouse workers sit at the low end at $36,324/yr on average, and senior solutions architects at the high end at $175,012/yr. These are base pay figures and exclude stock grants, which are a significant part of pay for many corporate and technical roles.

• Role. Fulfillment, delivery, corporate and technical jobs follow different pay structures.
• Location. Pay differs by area, and local minimum wages set a floor.
• Shift. Night and overnight shifts may include a differential.
• Full-time or part-time. The September 2026 raise applies to full-time core operations employees.
• Seasonal hiring. Temporary holiday roles can be paid differently from year-round jobs.
• Benefits. Total compensation figures include the value of benefits, which is not part of cash pay.

Amazon pay figures differ because they measure different things. Company announcements report averages across a workforce and may include benefits. Salary sites rely on what people choose to submit, and older entries can lower an average. Guides often combine direct employees with contractor drivers. If you want a precise rate, check the job posting for the specific location and role.