Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Houston, TX
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Houston, TX: $50,830/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $35,390 – $76,510 · about 47,590 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$500 (-1%).
What it's really worth in Houston
With Houston's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $50,830 has the buying power of about $50,966 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,061 · median home $308,306 · median rent $1,639/mo.
How Houston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Houston, TX is 100th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Houston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 145th.
The headline number flatters Houston. 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 Houston
A median home in Houston, TX costs $308,306 — about 6.1× 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 $1,639/mo works out at 39% 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 Houston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Houston | Rent vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +77% | 0.8× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +25% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +23% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +23% | 2.2× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Houston | Rent vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $56,420 | +11% | 1× |
| Austin, TX | $51,660 | +2% | 1× |
| Amarillo, TX | $49,470 | −3% | 0.8× |
| Beaumont, TX | $49,020 | −4% | 0.8× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Houston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Exxon Mobil · Energy
- Chevron · Energy
- Shell USA · Energy
- Halliburton · Energy
Other jobs in Houston
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.