Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in McAllen, TX
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in McAllen, TX: $45,090/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $28,620 – $66,350 · about 4,600 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$6,240 (-12%).
What it's really worth in McAllen
With McAllen's cost of living at 86 (US=100), that $45,090 has the buying power of about $52,385 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $49,371 · median home $193,978 · median rent $1,128/mo.
How McAllen ranks for this job
On raw pay, McAllen, TX is 182nd of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once McAllen's cost of living is applied, it ranks 134th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — McAllen 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 McAllen
A median home in McAllen, TX costs $193,978 — about 4.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,128/mo works out at 30% 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 McAllen.
| Metro | Median pay | vs McAllen | Rent vs McAllen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +99% | 1.2× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +41% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +39% | 2.9× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +39% | 3.2× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs McAllen | Rent vs McAllen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $56,420 | +25% | 1.5× |
| Austin, TX | $51,660 | +15% | 1.4× |
| Houston, TX | $50,830 | +13% | 1.5× |
| Amarillo, TX | $49,470 | +10% | 1.1× |
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 McAllen
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Panasonic · Manufacturing
Other jobs in McAllen
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.