Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Washington, DC
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Washington, DC: $57,990/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $42,240 – $77,010 · about 18,450 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$6,660 (+13%).
What it's really worth in Washington
With Washington's cost of living at 110 (US=100), that $57,990 has the buying power of about $52,938 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $119,803 · median home $583,013 · median rent $2,416/mo.
How Washington ranks for this job
On raw pay, Washington, DC is 29th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Washington's cost of living is applied, it ranks 121st.
The headline number flatters Washington. 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 Washington
A median home in Washington, DC costs $583,013 — about 10.1× 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 $2,416/mo works out at 50% 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 Washington.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Washington | Rent vs Washington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +55% | 0.6× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +9% | 0.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +8% | 1.3× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +8% | 1.5× |
Other jobs in Washington
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.