Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Kansas City, MO
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Kansas City, MO: $57,110/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $39,250 – $76,770 · about 18,800 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$5,780 (+11%).
What it's really worth in Kansas City
With Kansas City's cost of living at 93 (US=100), that $57,110 has the buying power of about $61,275 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,827 · median home $329,641 · median rent $1,548/mo.
How Kansas City ranks for this job
On raw pay, Kansas City, MO is 40th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Kansas City's cost of living is applied, it ranks 15th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Kansas City 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 Kansas City
A median home in Kansas City, MO costs $329,641 — about 5.8× 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 $1,548/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 Kansas City.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Kansas City | Rent vs Kansas City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +57% | 0.9× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +11% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +10% | 2.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +10% | 2.3× |
Same job elsewhere in MO
| Metro | Median pay | vs Kansas City | Rent vs Kansas City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, MO | $55,840 | −2% | 0.8× |
| St. Louis, MO | $53,370 | −7% | 0.9× |
Staying in MO keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Kansas City
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Hallmark Cards · Retail
Other jobs in Kansas City
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.