Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Austin, TX
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Austin, TX: $51,660/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $37,500 – $76,420 · about 10,180 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$330 (+1%).
What it's really worth in Austin
With Austin's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $51,660 has the buying power of about $52,566 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $92,939 · median home $428,524 · median rent $1,635/mo.
How Austin ranks for this job
On raw pay, Austin, TX is 91st of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Austin's cost of living is applied, it ranks 132nd.
The headline number flatters Austin. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Austin
A median home in Austin, TX costs $428,524 — about 8.3× 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 $1,635/mo works out at 38% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
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 Austin.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Austin | Rent vs Austin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +74% | 0.8× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +23% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +21% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +21% | 2.2× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Austin | Rent vs Austin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $56,420 | +9% | 1× |
| Houston, TX | $50,830 | −2% | 1× |
| Amarillo, TX | $49,470 | −4% | 0.8× |
| Beaumont, TX | $49,020 | −5% | 0.8× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Austin
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- H-E-B · Retail
Other jobs in Austin
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.