Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Corpus Christi, TX
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Corpus Christi, TX: $47,630/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $31,690 – $72,550 · about 2,430 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$3,700 (-7%).
What it's really worth in Corpus Christi
With Corpus Christi's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $47,630 has the buying power of about $51,933 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $64,005 · median home $225,070 · median rent $1,408/mo.
How Corpus Christi ranks for this job
On raw pay, Corpus Christi, TX is 159th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Corpus Christi's cost of living is applied, it ranks 138th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Corpus Christi 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 Corpus Christi
A median home in Corpus Christi, TX costs $225,070 — about 4.7× 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 $1,408/mo works out at 35% 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 Corpus Christi.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Corpus Christi | Rent vs Corpus Christi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +88% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +33% | 1.6× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +32% | 2.3× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +31% | 2.6× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Corpus Christi | Rent vs Corpus Christi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $56,420 | +18% | 1.2× |
| Austin, TX | $51,660 | +8% | 1.2× |
| Houston, TX | $50,830 | +7% | 1.2× |
| Amarillo, TX | $49,470 | +4% | 0.9× |
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 Corpus Christi
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- H-E-B · Retail
- Valero Refining · Energy
- CITGO Petroleum · Energy
Other jobs in Corpus Christi
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.