Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Winston-Salem, NC
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Winston-Salem, NC: $49,610/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,700 – $69,490 · about 4,120 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$1,720 (-3%).
What it's really worth in Winston-Salem
With Winston-Salem's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $49,610 has the buying power of about $54,158 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $60,145 · median home $283,871 · median rent $1,546/mo.
How Winston-Salem ranks for this job
On raw pay, Winston-Salem, NC is 120th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Winston-Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 100th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem
A median home in Winston-Salem, NC costs $283,871 — about 5.7× 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 $1,546/mo works out at 37% 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 Winston-Salem.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +81% | 0.9× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +28% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +26% | 2.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +26% | 2.3× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $52,090 | +5% | 1.1× |
| Durham, NC | $51,220 | +3% | 1.1× |
| Hickory, NC | $50,600 | +2% | 1× |
| Greensboro, NC | $49,720 | +0% | 0.9× |
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 Winston-Salem
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- HanesBrands · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Winston-Salem
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.