Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Appleton, WI
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Appleton, WI: $55,140/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $43,100 – $77,540 · about 1,870 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$3,810 (+7%).
What it's really worth in Appleton
With Appleton's cost of living at 94 (US=100), that $55,140 has the buying power of about $58,825 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $79,958 · median home $350,370 · median rent $1,217/mo.
How Appleton ranks for this job
On raw pay, Appleton, WI is 68th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Appleton's cost of living is applied, it ranks 30th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Appleton is one of the places where heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Appleton
A median home in Appleton, WI costs $350,370 — about 6.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,217/mo works out at 26% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Appleton.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Appleton | Rent vs Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +63% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +15% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +14% | 2.7× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +13% | 3× |
Same job elsewhere in WI
| Metro | Median pay | vs Appleton | Rent vs Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay, WI | $57,940 | +5% | 1× |
| Milwaukee, WI | $56,270 | +2% | 1.3× |
| Madison, WI | $54,080 | −2% | 1.4× |
Staying in WI keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Appleton
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Pierce Manufacturing · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Appleton
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.