According to the Census Bureau, the number of trucking businesses has surpassed a pre-recession … [+]
Despite all the different modes and methods of transportation available these days, truck driving is still central to the movement of goods in the United States economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 3.5 million Americans work as truck drivers, with the number of the trucking businesses reaching 711,000 in 2016, outstripping the peak reached in the years before the Great Recession.
How much money truck drivers earn, however, is another matter, one that depends heavily on factors like geography. Plus, the purchasing power of truck driver salaries can be significantly affected by local cost of living. Take the District of Columbia, for instance, where truck drivers earn an average of $52,760 a year, one of the highest annual salaries in the U.S. However, when you consider the fact that the average annual wage for all occupations in D.C. is $87,920, the salary of a truck driver pales in comparison.
To help determine which states are best for truck drivers, Seek Capital conducted a study of all 50 states, analyzing the average annual wage for truck drivers, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2018 Occupational Employment Statistics.
Find out where truck drivers earn the most money in the U.S.
10 States Where Truck Drivers Earn the Most Money
In order to determine where truck drivers earn the most money, the study looked not only at the average salary for truck drivers in the state. It also factored in each state’s average per capita income for all occupations, including non-trucking, and compared it to the average annual wage for truck drivers. Doing this sifts out states like Alaska, which might have the highest average salaries for trucker drivers in absolute terms, but not so when compared to per capita income and cost of living.
Below you’ll find the 10 best states for truck drivers, including
Best States for Truck Drivers
When taking into account the difference between average annual salary for truck drivers and average per capita income for all jobs, the top-10 list contains an interesting mix of states. The best-paying states for truck drivers are a combination of states in the West and South primarily, with Indiana being the one state representing the Midwest, according to the Census-designated geographical regions for the U.S.
Check Out: Full Report – How Much Truck Drivers Earn in Every U.S. State
