Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Denver, CO
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Denver, CO: $59,740/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $46,090 – $77,020 · about 15,760 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$8,410 (+16%).
What it's really worth in Denver
With Denver's cost of living at 106 (US=100), that $59,740 has the buying power of about $56,482 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $96,920 · median home $573,221 · median rent $1,910/mo.
How Denver ranks for this job
On raw pay, Denver, CO is 13th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Denver's cost of living is applied, it ranks 60th.
The headline number flatters Denver. 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 Denver
A median home in Denver, CO costs $573,221 — about 9.6× 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 $1,910/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 Denver.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Denver | Rent vs Denver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +50% | 0.7× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +6% | 1.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +5% | 1.7× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +5% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in CO
| Metro | Median pay | vs Denver | Rent vs Denver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | $58,680 | −2% | 1.2× |
| Fort Collins, CO | $56,100 | −6% | 1× |
| Greeley, CO | $56,030 | −6% | 0.9× |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $54,130 | −9% | 0.9× |
Staying in CO keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Denver
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Xcel Energy · Energy
Other jobs in Denver
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.