Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Cedar Rapids, IA
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Cedar Rapids, IA: $50,810/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $38,270 – $71,950 · about 4,890 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$520 (-1%).
What it's really worth in Cedar Rapids
With Cedar Rapids's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $50,810 has the buying power of about $56,464 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $75,477 · median home $244,344 · median rent $1,234/mo.
How Cedar Rapids ranks for this job
On raw pay, Cedar Rapids, IA is 101st of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Cedar Rapids's cost of living is applied, it ranks 61st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids
A median home in Cedar Rapids, IA costs $244,344 — about 4.8× 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 $1,234/mo works out at 29% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
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 Cedar Rapids.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Cedar Rapids | Rent vs Cedar Rapids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +77% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +25% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +23% | 2.6× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +23% | 2.9× |
Same job elsewhere in IA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Cedar Rapids | Rent vs Cedar Rapids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | $54,910 | +8% | 1× |
| Davenport, IA | $51,360 | +1% | 0.8× |
Staying in IA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Cedar Rapids
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Archer Daniels Midland · Manufacturing
- General Mills · Manufacturing
- Quaker Oats · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Cedar Rapids
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.