Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Wilmington, NC
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Wilmington, NC: $48,250/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,800 – $65,500 · about 1,580 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$3,080 (-6%).
What it's really worth in Wilmington
With Wilmington's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $48,250 has the buying power of about $50,554 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $68,845 · median home $446,210 · median rent $1,708/mo.
How Wilmington ranks for this job
On raw pay, Wilmington, NC is 149th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Wilmington's cost of living is applied, it ranks 152nd.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Wilmington sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Wilmington
A median home in Wilmington, NC costs $446,210 — about 9.2× 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 $1,708/mo works out at 42% 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 Wilmington.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Wilmington | Rent vs Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +86% | 0.8× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +32% | 1.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +30% | 1.9× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +30% | 2.1× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Wilmington | Rent vs Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $52,090 | +8% | 1× |
| Durham, NC | $51,220 | +6% | 1× |
| Hickory, NC | $50,600 | +5% | 0.9× |
| Greensboro, NC | $49,720 | +3% | 0.8× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Wilmington
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy · Energy
Other jobs in Wilmington
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.