Hourly rates movers charge, by city size
For the same crew, suggested rates rise about $30 to $60 an hour from a small city to a huge metro. The table shows the figures we found, grouped by who they came from. They are one coach's suggestions and single owners' prices, not survey averages.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Market or source | Crew | Rate |
| 2 | Coach's suggestion, small cities | 2 movers / 3 movers and a truck | $97 / $125 an hour |
| 3 | Coach's suggestion, big cities | 2 / 3 movers and a truck | $125 / $155 an hour |
| 4 | Coach's suggestion, huge metros | 2 / 3 movers and a truck | $145 / $185 an hour |
| 5 | One owner, starting out | 2 movers and a truck, 2-hour minimum | $125, later $220 an hour |
For each extra mover, a simple rule of thumb is to add a flat $60 an hour. Some owners also charge the same hourly rate whether or not their own truck goes on the job, which means a labour-only hour earns them more.
Why the small-city rate loses money for a paid owner
At the example company's costs, 3 movers cost about $119 an hour before the truck, so a $125 small-city rate for 3 movers and a truck leaves about $6 an hour for the truck and nothing for profit. The example's floor is $39.62 per labour hour, built from the company's yearly overhead and everyone's full pay, the owner's included, spread over the hours actually spent on moves.
Rates that low can still work for a while when the owner is not paid. Plenty of owners start that way: they lift all day, draw nothing, and the business looks like it breaks even. The day you hire someone to take your place on the truck, that hidden subsidy ends, and the rate is suddenly short by a full wage.
The true hourly rate guide explains the floor formula once, and the free true hourly rate calculator runs it with your figures.
Building the rate for 2, 3 and 4 movers
A crew rate is the per-person floor times the number of movers, plus the truck's cost per running hour, plus cushion and profit. With the example's $39.62 floor, 2 movers cost about $79 an hour and 4 movers about $158 before the truck.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crew | Labour floor per hour | What still has to be added |
| 2 | 2 movers | About $79 | Truck hour, cushion, profit |
| 3 | 3 movers | About $119 | Truck hour, cushion, profit |
| 4 | 4 movers | About $158 | Truck hour, cushion, profit |
The truck is the piece owners most often leave out. A 26 ft box truck costs its lease, fuel, upkeep and insurance whether the crew is lifting or waiting on an elevator, so spread its yearly cost over the hours it is out on jobs and add that to every crew size you sell. Pads and dollies get a small share too.
The $60 per extra mover rule is a fair check: one more person costs the example company $39.62 an hour at break-even, so $60 leaves about $20 for profit and the extra wear on the truck and gear.
The 30% payroll rule, and its blind spot
A common way to set a moving rate is to make crew wages about 30% of the hourly price, and never more than 40%. Take 3 movers paid $13, $15 and $17 an hour: that is $45 an hour in wages, and $45 divided by 0.30 is $150 an hour for the crew and truck. Workers' comp on top of the wages pushes that higher. One coach puts workers' comp at about 15% of payroll, though the real rate varies by state and carrier.
The same test works in reverse. A $15 helper on a $125 rate is 12% of the price, well inside the rule.
The rule only sees wages. The truck, rent, licence and insurance are not in it, so a rate can pass at 30% payroll and still make nothing once those bills arrive. Use it to see whether you are in range, then check the full floor to see whether you make money.
How much profit is left at $185 an hour?
About 24% of the price, in the example. The worked 3-bedroom move sells at $1,762 on a full cost of $1,337, which is a 31.8% markup and a 24.1% margin, or $425 kept after every wage, the owner's included.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worked move, 3 movers and a 26 ft truck | Result |
| 2 | Break-even per labour hour | $39.62 |
| 3 | Earned per labour hour | About $57 |
| 4 | Sold per crew-and-truck hour | About $185 |
| 5 | Markup on full cost | 31.8% |
| 6 | Margin kept | 24.1% ($425) |
Because the full cost already includes overhead and the owner's pay, that 24.1% is close to net profit. A 33% markup on the same cost would keep about 25%; the markup vs margin guide has the full conversion, and overhead and profit covers what a year of moves should leave.
When is it time to raise your hourly rate?
When you are booked solid and your rate sits near the small-city numbers, you are probably too cheap. One owner had someone call about 40 to 60 local companies, started at the second-lowest price at $125 an hour, and after about 100 five-star reviews moved to $220, roughly 80% more. By his account he did not lose any business.
Two things make a raise easier. First, reviews: a customer choosing between two movers they have never met will often pay more for the one with a long record of good moves. Second, the minimum: keep it when you raise. A 2-hour minimum at $125 meant every job brought in at least $250, and the same minimum at a higher rate protects the small jobs even more.
Set your crew rates in the calculator
The Moving Company Pricing Calculator works out the per-person floor from your overhead and crew, prices each truck by its running hours, and shows what every move earns per labour hour against that floor.