Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Fort Wayne, IN
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Fort Wayne, IN: $56,160/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $43,900 – $73,230 · about 4,130 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$4,830 (+9%).
What it's really worth in Fort Wayne
With Fort Wayne's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $56,160 has the buying power of about $62,575 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $66,758 · median home $259,816 · median rent $1,264/mo.
How Fort Wayne ranks for this job
On raw pay, Fort Wayne, IN is 52nd of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Fort Wayne's cost of living is applied, it ranks 11th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne
A median home in Fort Wayne, IN costs $259,816 — about 4.6× 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 $1,264/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
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 Fort Wayne.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Wayne | Rent vs Fort Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +60% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +13% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +12% | 2.6× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +11% | 2.9× |
Same job elsewhere in IN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Wayne | Rent vs Fort Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $58,480 | +4% | 1.2× |
| South Bend, IN | $57,720 | +3% | 1.1× |
| Evansville, IN | $49,850 | −11% | 0.9× |
Staying in IN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Fort Wayne
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- GE Power Conversion · Manufacturing
- Sweetwater Sound · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Fort Wayne
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.