Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Salary in New York, NY (2024)
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn a median of $65,220 per year ($31.36 per hour) based on 64,440 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +13.5% against the national median of $57,440 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers actually sit across the pay range in New York, NY, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.35 | $48,560 | |
| 25th percentile | $28.33 | $58,920 | |
| Median | $31.36 | $65,220 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $37.34 | $77,670 | |
| 90th percentile | $44.02 | $91,570 | |
| Average (mean) | $33.26 | $69,180 |
How New York, NY compares
The local median of $65,220 runs +13.5% above the US median of $57,440 for this occupation; it pays 7.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($60,460); within the metro it ranks 417th of 750 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY — this occupation | $65,220 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $57,440 | +13.5% |
| New York, NY — all occupations | $60,460 | +7.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $69,290 | -5.9% |
The location quotient of 0.51 is well below 1.0, so this is a comparatively thin occupation in the metro — pay figures here rest on fewer workers and can move sharply year to year.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.0%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 417th of 750 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in New York, NY
To put $65,220 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 417th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $230,130 | 1,520 |
| Psychiatrists | $229,630 | 3,680 |
| Commercial Pilots | $224,840 | 1,270 |
| Radiologists | $219,900 | 1,870 |
| Financial Managers | $216,520 | 77,970 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $216,420 | 900 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $215,640 | 4,130 |
| Neurologists | $214,820 | 920 |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $214,630 | 570 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $212,400 | 56,180 |
Where heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $49,320 to $69,290. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $69,290 | 21,220 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $65,220 | 64,440 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $64,210 | 16,870 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $63,500 | 14,460 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $63,170 | 19,770 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $62,880 | 15,420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $62,430 | 54,680 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $61,530 | 20,220 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $60,680 | 42,710 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $60,000 | 29,090 |
See the full national picture on the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New York, NY?
The median annual wage is $65,220, or $31 per hour. That means half of the heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers working in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $69,180.
What do the highest and lowest paid heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New York, NY earn?
The bottom 10% earn $48,560 or less, while the top 10% earn $91,570 or more — a spread of $43,010 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $58,920 and $77,670.
Is heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers pay in New York, NY above the local average?
Yes, it is 7.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $60,460. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does New York, NY pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $65,220 the metro median is 13.5% higher than the US median of $57,440 for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $49,320 to $69,290.
How many heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in New York, NY?
BLS counts about 64,440 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 6.88 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.51 is well below 1.0, so this is a comparatively thin occupation in the metro — pay figures here rest on fewer workers and can move sharply year to year.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 3.4%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.