CDL Truck Driver Salary by State
BLS median annual pay for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (SOC 53-3032) in every US state plus DC. Sourced to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — the authoritative wage dataset based on direct employer survey, not self-reported figures.
Look up a state
States sorted by median annual wage (highest first).
- State employment
- vs. BLS national median ($)
- National percentile band
- Release date
Verify the number directly on the linked BLS OES state page before citing in a binding decision. BLS updates OES annually, typically publishing the next May-year release in March.
How this data is sourced
Every per-state figure on this page comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) survey for Standard Occupational Classification 53-3032, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. OES is BLS's largest systematic wage survey — approximately 1.2 million establishments across every state and US territory — with data collected directly from employers, not self-reported by workers. BLS publishes the results annually; the May 2024 release (published March 2025) is the current anchor for these figures.
National context for reading a state median:
- 10th percentile nationally: $37,930 — roughly first-year and entry-level company drivers.
- 25th percentile: $46,120 — new-to-mid-tenure drivers in lower-paying states and freight segments.
- Median (50th): $57,440 — the national reference baseline all state medians compare against.
- 75th percentile: $71,990 — experienced OTR, dedicated, and specialty-freight drivers.
- 90th percentile: $81,710 — top-paid specialty hauliers (tanker, oversize, auto-haul) and senior dedicated drivers.
Why BLS OES beats self-reported salary sites
Search "truck driver salary in [state]" and the first hits are usually Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, or PayScale. Those numbers come from user-submitted self-reports, which have two structural biases:
- Survivorship. Drivers who take a lower-paying job, quit it, and move to a better one don't go back and update the old entry. The job boards' aggregate skews toward drivers who were happy enough to report.
- Selection. Higher-earning drivers are more likely to submit salary data. Lower-earning drivers in high-churn segments have less incentive to share numbers they're not proud of.
BLS OES eliminates both biases because data comes from the employer's payroll, not the worker's self-report. Every working driver in a surveyed establishment gets counted. That's why Indeed's "truck driver average" often sits $8,000–$15,000 above the BLS state median — not because Indeed is lying, but because self-reported data is a non-representative sample.
State totals and OTR carrier HQ effects
OES state data is tied to the establishment address, not the driver's home. A driver running OTR lanes nationally but employed by a Schneider truck based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, counts toward Wisconsin's employment total and Wisconsin's wage distribution. Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, and other states with large OTR carrier headquarters therefore report higher employment and sometimes higher medians than their resident population would suggest. This is a feature, not a flaw — it correctly attributes wages to the employer paying them.
When to cross-check with a state DMV or FMCSA source
BLS OES is the right source for wage context. For state-specific CDL licensing fees, endorsement costs, and exam availability, consult the state DMV — those are published separately and vary more than wage data. For carrier-specific pay structures, use our CPM to Annual calculator with the recruiting-page rate, or the Lease vs Company vs Owner-Op tool for contract-type decisions.
How to use a state median
The state median on this page is the single best reference number for "am I being offered a reasonable wage in this state?" If a carrier in Texas is quoting $45,000 first-year for a solo OTR job, that's well below the Texas median of $55,800 and suggests a lease-purchase offer in disguise or an unusually restrictive freight arrangement. Conversely, $58,000 as a first-year offer in Mississippi (median $52,440) is competitive for the state's wage floor.
State median does not adjust for cost of living. A $55,000 job in Mississippi produces very different purchasing power than $55,000 in California or New York — the Missouri-based or Mississippi-based driver often has substantially more take-home power despite lower nominal pay. If you're considering relocation for a trucking job, pair this median with a cost-of-living comparison tool from BEA or MERIC.
Our data freshness policy
| Assumption | Default | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BLS OES release | May 2024 OES (published March 2025) | bls.gov/oes/oes533032.htm |
| Release date | 2025-03-31 | BLS publication calendar |
| Refresh cadence | Annual (March/April) | BLS OES publishes next May-year data each spring |
| National median reference | $57,440 | BLS OOH / OES 53-3032, May 2024 |
| Confidence tier | B (re-verifiable vs. BLS state pages) | See per-state record for source URL |
All 50 states + DC — sorted by median
| State | Median annual | Employment | BLS source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $65,430 | 2,710 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ak |
| Massachusetts | $62,870 | 19,870 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ma |
| North Dakota | $62,260 | 7,850 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nd |
| Oregon | $61,920 | 19,290 | bls.gov/oes/oes_or |
| New Jersey | $61,770 | 50,920 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nj |
| New York | $61,600 | 53,120 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ny |
| Connecticut | $60,640 | 11,220 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ct |
| Iowa | $60,590 | 28,680 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ia |
| Indiana | $60,370 | 57,510 | bls.gov/oes/oes_in |
| Illinois | $60,290 | 75,550 | bls.gov/oes/oes_il |
| Washington | $60,290 | 31,220 | bls.gov/oes/oes_wa |
| District of Columbia | $60,110 | 260 | bls.gov/oes/oes_dc |
| Minnesota | $59,780 | 31,180 | bls.gov/oes/oes_mn |
| Rhode Island | $58,960 | 3,330 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ri |
| Nevada | $58,670 | 12,080 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nv |
| California | $58,630 | 142,410 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ca |
| Colorado | $58,480 | 22,430 | bls.gov/oes/oes_co |
| Pennsylvania | $57,970 | 74,420 | bls.gov/oes/oes_pa |
| Ohio | $57,750 | 72,270 | bls.gov/oes/oes_oh |
| Michigan | $57,660 | 54,880 | bls.gov/oes/oes_mi |
| Wisconsin | $57,630 | 36,850 | bls.gov/oes/oes_wi |
| Kansas | $56,960 | 22,520 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ks |
| New Hampshire | $56,840 | 6,730 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nh |
| Wyoming | $56,780 | 5,960 | bls.gov/oes/oes_wy |
| Maryland | $56,710 | 24,910 | bls.gov/oes/oes_md |
| Nebraska | $56,230 | 21,250 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ne |
| Delaware | $56,210 | 5,430 | bls.gov/oes/oes_de |
| Virginia | $56,170 | 41,870 | bls.gov/oes/oes_va |
| Kentucky | $55,810 | 31,530 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ky |
| Texas | $55,800 | 201,550 | bls.gov/oes/oes_tx |
| Tennessee | $55,340 | 46,010 | bls.gov/oes/oes_tn |
| Vermont | $55,180 | 3,200 | bls.gov/oes/oes_vt |
| Maine | $55,160 | 8,150 | bls.gov/oes/oes_me |
| Georgia | $55,130 | 65,460 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ga |
| South Dakota | $54,960 | 7,360 | bls.gov/oes/oes_sd |
| Utah | $54,820 | 19,840 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ut |
| Missouri | $54,780 | 47,480 | bls.gov/oes/oes_mo |
| Louisiana | $54,620 | 23,110 | bls.gov/oes/oes_la |
| Montana | $54,460 | 9,060 | bls.gov/oes/oes_mt |
| North Carolina | $54,150 | 54,470 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nc |
| West Virginia | $54,150 | 9,560 | bls.gov/oes/oes_wv |
| Idaho | $53,960 | 10,280 | bls.gov/oes/oes_id |
| Hawaii | $53,930 | 2,870 | bls.gov/oes/oes_hi |
| Alabama | $53,370 | 36,500 | bls.gov/oes/oes_al |
| Arizona | $52,970 | 33,100 | bls.gov/oes/oes_az |
| South Carolina | $52,710 | 28,730 | bls.gov/oes/oes_sc |
| Mississippi | $52,440 | 22,560 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ms |
| New Mexico | $52,240 | 13,400 | bls.gov/oes/oes_nm |
| Oklahoma | $52,140 | 23,970 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ok |
| Arkansas | $52,120 | 23,080 | bls.gov/oes/oes_ar |
| Florida | $51,020 | 85,940 | bls.gov/oes/oes_fl |
Frequently asked questions
Why does my BLS state median differ from what Indeed shows?
Indeed uses self-reported data from users who chose to submit. BLS uses direct employer payroll data across ~1.2M establishments. Self-reported data is systematically biased toward higher earners and drivers with more job-hopping history. BLS is the honest representative average.
Is BLS OES the "mean" or "median"?
BLS OES publishes both. This tool shows the median (50th percentile) because it's the more stable number and better represents a typical driver. The mean is pulled upward by high-earning specialty freight drivers and is less useful as a reference.
How often does BLS update state-level data?
Annually, in late March or early April. Data is tagged to the May of the prior year (e.g., "May 2024 estimates" published March 2025). Semi-annual estimates are also available but less widely cited.
Does this include owner-operators?
No. BLS OES covers wage and salary workers only. Owner-operators who are self-employed file Schedule C and are not captured in OES employment counts. For owner-op economics, use the Owner-Operator Net Income calculator.
Why don't you show state-level percentiles (10th/25th/75th/90th)?
BLS publishes state percentiles, but they drift between releases and maintaining fresh per-state percentile snapshots requires a live BLS API integration on an annual cadence. Rather than caching potentially-stale per-state percentiles, this tool surfaces the state median (most stable data point) + the full national percentile distribution + a per-state BLS link for real-time percentile lookup when needed.
I'm a recruiter — can I use these numbers in a job ad?
Yes. BLS OES data is public and cited widely in trucking-industry reporting. If you do use it in a job ad or recruiting page, cite the source release ("BLS OES May 2024") and link to the specific state page. Citing the state median as an "average" without attribution is misleading — it's the median, not the mean.
