Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Buffalo, NY
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Buffalo, NY: $54,430/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $38,570 – $75,130 · about 4,610 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$3,100 (+6%).
What it's really worth in Buffalo
With Buffalo's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $54,430 has the buying power of about $57,342 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $67,638 · median home $288,316 · median rent $1,444/mo.
How Buffalo ranks for this job
On raw pay, Buffalo, NY is 77th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Buffalo's cost of living is applied, it ranks 45th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Buffalo 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 Buffalo
A median home in Buffalo, NY costs $288,316 — about 5.3× 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 $1,444/mo works out at 32% 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 Buffalo.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Buffalo | Rent vs Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +65% | 0.9× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +17% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +15% | 2.3× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +15% | 2.5× |
Same job elsewhere in NY
| Metro | Median pay | vs Buffalo | Rent vs Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $62,200 | +14% | 2.4× |
| Albany, NY | $56,830 | +4% | 1.2× |
| Syracuse, NY | $55,390 | +2% | 1.1× |
| Rochester, NY | $53,360 | −2% | 1.1× |
Staying in NY keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Buffalo
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Moog Inc. · Manufacturing
- Tops Markets · Retail
Other jobs in Buffalo
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.