Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Kingsport, TN
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Kingsport, TN: $46,940/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,880 – $65,840 · about 1,740 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$4,390 (-9%).
What it's really worth in Kingsport
With Kingsport's cost of living at 85 (US=100), that $46,940 has the buying power of about $55,231 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $53,644 · median home $246,242 · median rent $1,350/mo.
How Kingsport ranks for this job
On raw pay, Kingsport, TN is 167th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Kingsport's cost of living is applied, it ranks 78th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Kingsport 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 Kingsport
A median home in Kingsport, TN costs $246,242 — about 5.2× 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 $1,350/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 Kingsport.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Kingsport | Rent vs Kingsport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +91% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +35% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +34% | 2.4× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +33% | 2.7× |
Same job elsewhere in TN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Kingsport | Rent vs Kingsport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN | $58,050 | +24% | 1.1× |
| Nashville, TN | $54,650 | +16% | 1.3× |
| Chattanooga, TN | $49,900 | +6% | 1.1× |
| Knoxville, TN | $49,900 | +6% | 1.3× |
Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Kingsport
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.