Truck Driver Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Truck Driver salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$55,990

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How Truck Driver pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Truck Driver pay ranges from about $43,000 in El Paso, TX to $64,796 in Boston, MA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Memphis, TN delivers the strongest real buying power (about $64,407 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $55,990.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
Boston, MA$64,796$34,575$85,950108.3$59,830
Seattle, WA$63,460$49,760$83,730111.1$57,120
San Francisco, CA$62,750$45,980$95,150115.6$54,282
Oakland, CA$62,750$45,980$95,150115.6$54,282
San Jose, CA$62,560$45,570$88,040110.4$56,667
New York, NY$62,200$46,030$87,710112.6$55,240
Portland, OR$61,590$45,520$79,500105.4$58,435
Minneapolis, MN$61,060$46,840$80,660104.8$58,263
Chicago, IL$61,060$37,280$87,120103.6$58,938
Denver, CO$59,740$46,090$77,020105.8$56,465
Sacramento, CA$58,700$38,920$76,140106.7$55,014
Indianapolis, IN$58,480$38,680$78,31095.7$61,108
Memphis, TN$58,050$36,080$84,39092.2$62,961
Washington, DC$57,990$42,240$77,010108.9$53,251
Philadelphia, PA$57,990$43,510$78,460102.6$56,520
Los Angeles, CA$57,610$38,090$78,120113.6$50,713
Long Beach, CA$57,610$38,090$78,120113.6$50,713
Atlanta, GA$57,230$37,420$77,130100.1$57,173
Kansas City, MO$57,110$39,250$76,77092.5$61,741
Las Vegas, NV$56,770$41,120$74,060100.2$56,657
Dallas, TX$56,420$37,600$84,760103.1$54,724
Arlington, TX$56,420$37,600$84,760——
Milwaukee, WI$56,270$39,680$78,69096.9$58,070
Louisville, KY$56,260$42,310$80,78093.1$60,430
San Diego, CA$55,880$37,430$75,850111.9$49,937
Columbus, OH$55,860$39,480$78,69095.5$58,492
Baltimore, MD$55,300$40,730$75,310104.5$52,919
Cleveland, OH$55,030$40,010$76,670——
Fort Worth, TX$54,915$32,305$70,741103.1$53,264
Nashville, TN$54,650$40,660$77,54096.3$56,750
Colorado Springs, CO$54,130$40,960$68,820100.7$53,754
Detroit, MI$53,770$36,250$70,500100.3$53,609
Tulsa, OK$52,550$36,940$72,05089.2$58,913
Charlotte, NC$52,090$39,260$73,89097.3$53,535
Omaha, NE$51,780$37,860$76,04091.9$56,344
Austin, TX$51,660$37,500$76,42098.1$52,661
Houston, TX$50,830$35,390$76,51098.6$51,552
Jacksonville, FL$50,460$37,690$77,23099.5$50,714
Mesa, AZ$50,300$38,000$69,750103.3$48,693
Phoenix, AZ$50,300$38,000$69,750103.3$48,693
Miami, FL$49,660$38,430$75,520114.2$43,485
Wichita, KS$49,610$37,490$73,56088.9$55,804
Raleigh, NC$49,510$38,430$75,58098.2$50,418
New Orleans, LA$49,110$31,440$75,31092.6$53,035
Oklahoma City, OK$49,080$37,790$73,52090.4$54,292
Fresno, CA$48,920$35,440$63,960102.2$47,867
Albuquerque, NM$48,810$34,680$61,79095.5$51,110
Tucson, AZ$48,050$36,550$61,87096.9$49,587
San Antonio, TX$48,040$32,460$72,19094.7$50,729
El Paso, TX$43,000$21,160$67,85089.9$47,831

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

Compare cost of living

Frequently Asked Questions

The national average for Truck Drivers is $55,990 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $43,000 in El Paso to $64,796 in Boston.

Memphis leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $58,050 average pay is worth about $62,961 in national-average dollars, ahead of Kansas City at $61,741.

Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. Memphis's index is 92.2, so its $58,050 average equals about $62,961 in national buying power.

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