Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing Revenue Benchmarks
The average commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business in the United States generates $5.0M in annual revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB 2021). There are 553 commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing businesses in the U.S., employing 4,545 workers with an average profit margin of 20.0%. The average employee in this industry earns $148K per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2023).
What Does a Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing Business Actually Do?
Long-term operating leases of commercial vehicles — rail cars, aircraft, commercial trucks (fleet).
Who buys: Airlines, railroads, trucking companies with fleet-lease strategy.
Average Revenue
$5.0M
per year
Profit Margin
20.0%
industry average
Revenue / Employee
$610K
per year
Total Businesses
553
in the US
Est. Owner Income
$1.0M
small business avg
Labor Cost
25.0%
of revenue
Avg Employee Wage
$148K
per year (BLS)
Market Saturation
0.2
firms per 100K people
How Much Do Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing Charge?
Rental/leasing of commercial vehicles — trucks, rail cars, aircraft. Long-term operating leases dominate.
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
Rail car lease (per month) | $400–2,500 per car |
Commercial aircraft dry lease | $150K–2M/month |
Truck operating lease | $1,200–4,000/truck/month |
Ranges based on industry rate surveys and typical published pricing. Actual quotes vary by city, business size, and job complexity.
Complete commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business plan
A 12-section data-backed business plan for a commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business — executive summary, market analysis, competitive landscape, revenue model, 3-year financial projections, operations, marketing, staffing, funding request. Pre-populated with real Census, IRS, and BLS data on this industry. Free to view.
Cost Structure — Where Every $100 in Revenue Goes
Approximate P&L breakdown for the commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry. Labor share and net profit are grounded in Census SUSB and IRS SOI data. Other lines are split using sector-typical ratios.
| Category | Per $100 revenue | Per typical business | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
Property expenses | $8 | $414K | Maintenance, repairs, property taxes, HOA fees, utilities on managed properties. |
Wages & benefits | $25 | $1.3M | Payroll for all employees at the business (owner comp not included for small owner-operators). |
Rent & facilities | $3 | $138K | Rent or mortgage on business location plus utilities tied to the space. |
Marketing & advertising | $8 | $414K | Google/Meta ads, SEO, print, referral fees, event sponsorships. |
Other operating costs | $36 | $1.8M | Insurance, legal, financing costs, agent commissions to sub-agents. |
Net profit | $20 | $1.0M | What remains for the owner or shareholders after all business expenses. |
Directionally accurate for a typical business in the industry. Individual businesses vary widely — a franchise may run a very different cost mix from an independent, and older established businesses often have lower labor share than newer ones.
Average Revenue by Business Size
Industry Dynamics (Census BDS 2023)
New Business Rate
11.19%
openings/year
Closure Rate
5.81%
closings/year
Net Job Growth
+9.34%
annual
Businesses Closed
578
in 2023
Firm Count Trend
Should You Start a Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing Business?
Startup Cost
$50K – $250K
Break-Even
2 months
5-Year Survival Rate
50.0%
Related Industries
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business do?
- Long-term operating leases of commercial vehicles — rail cars, aircraft, commercial trucks (fleet). Airlines, railroads, trucking companies with fleet-lease strategy.
- How much do commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing charge?
- Rental/leasing of commercial vehicles — trucks, rail cars, aircraft. Long-term operating leases dominate. See the pricing table above for typical rates by service type.
- How much does the average commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing make per year?
- The average commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business generates $5.0M in annual revenue, based on U.S. Census Bureau data (SUSB 2021). After expenses, the estimated owner profit is $1.0M per year at a 20.0% profit margin.
- How many commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing businesses are there in the US?
- There are 553 commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing businesses operating in the United States, employing a total of 4,545 workers.
- How much does it cost to start a commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business?
- Startup costs for a commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing business typically range from $50K to $250K, with a 5-year survival rate of 50.0%.
- What is the average salary in the commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry?
- The average employee in the commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry earns $148K per year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (QCEW 2023).
Industry Growth & Survival
The commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry is actively growing — adding jobs at a net rate of 9.3% per year. New establishments are opening faster than existing ones close (11.2% entry vs 5.8% exit), indicating healthy demand.
Approximately 74% of commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing businesses survive their first 5 years. This is above the national average (~50%), making it a relatively safe industry to enter. In 2023, 578 firms in this industry closed permanently.
Employment & Wages
The average employee in the commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry earns $147,684/year. This is significantly above the national average of ~$65K, reflecting the skilled nature of this work. With 860 establishments employing 5,423 people, the typical business has about 6 employees.
Industry Trend (2000–2023)
The commercial air, rail, and water transportation equipment rental and leasing industry has grown 5% since 2000 (from 7,172 to 7,495 firms).
See full historical statistics →Compare Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing revenue with other industries: