Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers: pay by state
National median: $58,640/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$40,140 25th percentile$47,960 Median$58,640 75th percentile$69,120 90th percentile$79,380
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 2,062,040. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A truck driver earning the median $70,100 in Alaska needs about $66,472 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $56,290 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median truck driver earns $58,640 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $70,100 in Alaska down to $49,320 in Louisiana — a spread of 42% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $40,140 to $79,380. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, Alaska offers the strongest real pay ($68,457 in national-average terms). Washington, by contrast, pays a high nominal $64,760 but slips to 20th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 3,420 | $48,080 | $70,100 | $90,610 | 102.4 | $68,457 |
| 2 | North Dakota | 11,870 | $47,990 | $60,910 | $83,330 | 89.0 | $68,438 |
| 3 | South Dakota | 6,470 | $41,590 | $58,690 | $78,610 | 88.6 | $66,242 |
| 4 | Iowa | 35,040 | $42,390 | $58,070 | $77,910 | 87.8 | $66,139 |
| 5 | Kansas | 24,220 | $43,760 | $58,920 | $78,910 | 90.1 | $65,394 |
| 6 | Wyoming | 6,050 | $45,860 | $60,310 | $84,670 | 92.7 | $65,059 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 23,160 | $40,150 | $58,390 | $81,790 | 90.1 | $64,806 |
| 8 | Indiana | 59,090 | $42,060 | $60,290 | $79,000 | 93.3 | $64,620 |
| 9 | Ohio | 83,060 | $43,670 | $59,800 | $77,650 | 92.8 | $64,440 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 64,890 | $39,960 | $58,620 | $83,280 | 91.9 | $63,787 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 38,770 | $45,910 | $61,990 | $81,830 | 98.6 | $62,870 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 31,760 | $38,670 | $56,340 | $85,630 | 90.2 | $62,461 |
| 13 | Nevada | 15,010 | $45,860 | $62,290 | $83,090 | 100.0 | $62,290 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 53,330 | $44,920 | $58,610 | $76,380 | 94.1 | $62,285 |
| 15 | Montana | 7,830 | $46,040 | $58,870 | $74,120 | 94.6 | $62,230 |
| 16 | Vermont | 3,560 | $48,900 | $60,830 | $74,700 | 98.0 | $62,071 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 27,840 | $37,420 | $54,410 | $80,330 | 87.8 | $61,970 |
| 18 | Idaho | 15,920 | $43,360 | $58,770 | $77,120 | 95.5 | $61,539 |
| 19 | Utah | 25,060 | $44,320 | $60,620 | $76,360 | 98.9 | $61,294 |
| 20 | Washington | 40,530 | $50,010 | $64,760 | $87,500 | 107.0 | $60,523 |
| 21 | Illinois | 84,200 | $39,710 | $60,320 | $86,300 | 100.0 | $60,320 |
| 22 | Missouri | 47,760 | $37,860 | $54,550 | $77,510 | 90.8 | $60,077 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 87,550 | $43,560 | $58,580 | $78,330 | 97.6 | $60,020 |
| 24 | Oregon | 23,970 | $47,700 | $61,980 | $81,220 | 103.4 | $59,942 |
| 25 | Colorado | 25,350 | $47,010 | $61,500 | $80,570 | 103.1 | $59,651 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 30,890 | $47,080 | $63,030 | $78,480 | 105.8 | $59,575 |
| 27 | Mississippi | 24,160 | $35,710 | $51,820 | $79,550 | 87.0 | $59,563 |
| 28 | Michigan | 60,800 | $40,280 | $57,180 | $73,980 | 96.2 | $59,439 |
| 29 | Arkansas | 32,220 | $36,770 | $51,550 | $81,110 | 86.9 | $59,321 |
| 30 | Georgia | 74,840 | $38,150 | $57,050 | $77,900 | 96.3 | $59,242 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | 3,620 | $45,600 | $60,190 | $75,120 | 102.3 | $58,837 |
| 32 | Maine | 9,980 | $40,810 | $57,050 | $71,100 | 97.1 | $58,754 |
| 33 | Alabama | 36,650 | $38,240 | $52,120 | $77,620 | 88.8 | $58,694 |
| 34 | New Jersey | 47,980 | $47,950 | $63,570 | $90,310 | 108.8 | $58,428 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | 830 | $51,500 | $64,170 | $84,000 | 109.9 | $58,389 |
| 36 | Connecticut | 15,740 | $47,160 | $60,490 | $77,360 | 103.6 | $58,388 |
| 37 | Texas | 209,680 | $38,150 | $56,290 | $79,400 | 97.1 | $57,971 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 6,960 | $47,370 | $60,280 | $74,200 | 104.2 | $57,850 |
| 39 | Delaware | 9,040 | $46,850 | $57,590 | $69,770 | 99.8 | $57,705 |
| 40 | Arizona | 40,150 | $42,580 | $58,080 | $76,550 | 100.7 | $57,676 |
| 41 | New York | 63,700 | $47,880 | $62,050 | $88,100 | 107.9 | $57,507 |
| 42 | Maryland | 29,150 | $43,670 | $59,360 | $79,130 | 105.0 | $56,533 |
| 43 | Virginia | 48,750 | $38,180 | $56,860 | $77,040 | 101.1 | $56,241 |
| 44 | Louisiana | 28,540 | $36,710 | $49,320 | $68,740 | 88.2 | $55,918 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 12,190 | $36,350 | $49,480 | $72,230 | 89.5 | $55,285 |
| 46 | New Mexico | 11,820 | $38,540 | $50,500 | $65,990 | 92.2 | $54,772 |
| 47 | North Carolina | 62,400 | $39,400 | $51,530 | $76,360 | 94.3 | $54,645 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 34,170 | $39,330 | $51,130 | $77,070 | 93.7 | $54,568 |
| 49 | California | 205,090 | $41,830 | $60,230 | $81,960 | 110.7 | $54,408 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 4,070 | $47,480 | $59,820 | $74,530 | 110.0 | $54,382 |
| 51 | Florida | 112,920 | $37,700 | $50,640 | $74,330 | 103.4 | $48,975 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data