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Truck drivers (CDL): pay and employment in every state
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (SOC 53-3032) earned a national median of $58,640 a year in May 2025, $28.19 an hour. 2,062,040 people held the job. Alaska paid the most, $70,100.
How to become a truck driver: the license tiers, required hours, exam and fees, sourced from the state authority for California · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Michigan · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Texas. More states as each board's data is collected.
Where truck drivers earn the most
Top five by median annual wage: Alaska ($70,100), Washington ($64,760), District of Columbia ($64,170), New Jersey ($63,570), Massachusetts ($63,030).
Lowest five: Louisiana ($49,320), West Virginia ($49,480), New Mexico ($50,500), Florida ($50,640), South Carolina ($51,130).
Every state, ranked by median pay
| # | State | Median annual | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employed | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $70,100 | $33.70 | $48,080 | $90,610 | 3,420 | 10.5 |
| 2 | Washington | $64,760 | $31.13 | $50,010 | $87,500 | 40,530 | 11.4 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $64,170 | $30.85 | $51,500 | $84,000 | 830 | 1.2 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $63,570 | $30.56 | $47,950 | $90,310 | 47,980 | 11.2 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $63,030 | $30.30 | $47,080 | $78,480 | 30,890 | 8.5 |
| 6 | Nevada | $62,290 | $29.95 | $45,860 | $83,090 | 15,010 | 9.7 |
| 7 | New York | $62,050 | $29.83 | $47,880 | $88,100 | 63,700 | 6.6 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $61,990 | $29.80 | $45,910 | $81,830 | 38,770 | 13.1 |
| 9 | Oregon | $61,980 | $29.80 | $47,700 | $81,220 | 23,970 | 12.2 |
| 10 | Colorado | $61,500 | $29.57 | $47,010 | $80,570 | 25,350 | 8.8 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $60,910 | $29.29 | $47,990 | $83,330 | 11,870 | 27.6 |
| 12 | Vermont | $60,830 | $29.25 | $48,900 | $74,700 | 3,560 | 11.7 |
| 13 | Utah | $60,620 | $29.15 | $44,320 | $76,360 | 25,060 | 14.4 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $60,490 | $29.08 | $47,160 | $77,360 | 15,740 | 9.3 |
| 15 | Illinois | $60,320 | $29.00 | $39,710 | $86,300 | 84,200 | 13.8 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $60,310 | $28.99 | $45,860 | $84,670 | 6,050 | 21.6 |
| 17 | Indiana | $60,290 | $28.99 | $42,060 | $79,000 | 59,090 | 18.5 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $60,280 | $28.98 | $47,370 | $74,200 | 6,960 | 10.2 |
| 19 | California | $60,230 | $28.96 | $41,830 | $81,960 | 205,090 | 11.3 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $60,190 | $28.94 | $45,600 | $75,120 | 3,620 | 7.2 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $59,820 | $28.76 | $47,480 | $74,530 | 4,070 | 6.5 |
| 22 | Ohio | $59,800 | $28.75 | $43,670 | $77,650 | 83,060 | 15.0 |
| 23 | Maryland | $59,360 | $28.54 | $43,670 | $79,130 | 29,150 | 10.5 |
| 24 | Kansas | $58,920 | $28.33 | $43,760 | $78,910 | 24,220 | 16.8 |
| 25 | Montana | $58,870 | $28.30 | $46,040 | $74,120 | 7,830 | 15.3 |
| 26 | Idaho | $58,770 | $28.26 | $43,360 | $77,120 | 15,920 | 18.6 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $58,690 | $28.21 | $41,590 | $78,610 | 6,470 | 14.2 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $58,620 | $28.18 | $39,960 | $83,280 | 64,890 | 19.8 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $58,610 | $28.18 | $44,920 | $76,380 | 53,330 | 18.1 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $58,580 | $28.16 | $43,560 | $78,330 | 87,550 | 14.4 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $58,390 | $28.07 | $40,150 | $81,790 | 23,160 | 22.6 |
| 32 | Arizona | $58,080 | $27.92 | $42,580 | $76,550 | 40,150 | 12.4 |
| 33 | Iowa | $58,070 | $27.92 | $42,390 | $77,910 | 35,040 | 22.5 |
| 34 | Delaware | $57,590 | $27.69 | $46,850 | $69,770 | 9,040 | 18.6 |
| 35 | Michigan | $57,180 | $27.49 | $40,280 | $73,980 | 60,800 | 13.8 |
| 36 | Georgia | $57,050 | $27.43 | $38,150 | $77,900 | 74,840 | 15.3 |
| 37 | Maine | $57,050 | $27.43 | $40,810 | $71,100 | 9,980 | 15.6 |
| 38 | Virginia | $56,860 | $27.34 | $38,180 | $77,040 | 48,750 | 11.9 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $56,340 | $27.09 | $38,670 | $85,630 | 31,760 | 15.9 |
| 40 | Texas | $56,290 | $27.06 | $38,150 | $79,400 | 209,680 | 14.9 |
| 41 | Missouri | $54,550 | $26.23 | $37,860 | $77,510 | 47,760 | 16.3 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $54,410 | $26.16 | $37,420 | $80,330 | 27,840 | 16.3 |
| 43 | Alabama | $52,120 | $25.06 | $38,240 | $77,620 | 36,650 | 17.3 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $51,820 | $24.92 | $35,710 | $79,550 | 24,160 | 20.8 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $51,550 | $24.79 | $36,770 | $81,110 | 32,220 | 24.7 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $51,530 | $24.77 | $39,400 | $76,360 | 62,400 | 12.6 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $51,130 | $24.58 | $39,330 | $77,070 | 34,170 | 14.8 |
| 48 | Florida | $50,640 | $24.34 | $37,700 | $74,330 | 112,920 | 11.4 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $50,500 | $24.28 | $38,540 | $65,990 | 11,820 | 13.6 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $49,480 | $23.79 | $36,350 | $72,230 | 12,190 | 17.4 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $49,320 | $23.71 | $36,710 | $68,740 | 28,540 | 14.8 |
Per 1,000 jobs
"Per 1,000 jobs" is how concentrated the trade is in that state's workforce. A state can pay well and still have few openings; the employment column and this one together say how much of a market there is.