Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Charleston, WV
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Charleston, WV: $46,630/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $30,960 – $88,110 · about 1,350 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$4,700 (-9%).
What it's really worth in Charleston
With Charleston's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $46,630 has the buying power of about $52,359 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $54,473 · median home $148,817 · median rent $1,265/mo.
How Charleston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Charleston, WV is 169th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Charleston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 135th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Charleston 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 Charleston
A median home in Charleston, WV costs $148,817 — about 3.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,265/mo works out at 33% 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 Charleston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +92% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +36% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +35% | 2.6× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +34% | 2.9× |
Same job elsewhere in WV
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington, WV | $47,840 | +3% | 0.9× |
Staying in WV keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Charleston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- West Virginia-American Water Company · Energy
- Charleston Stamping and Manufacturing · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Charleston
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.