Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Mobile, AL
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Mobile, AL: $47,980/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $34,690 – $64,490 · about 3,620 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$3,350 (-7%).
What it's really worth in Mobile
With Mobile's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $47,980 has the buying power of about $54,069 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $55,247 · median home $197,857 · median rent $1,323/mo.
How Mobile ranks for this job
On raw pay, Mobile, AL is 155th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Mobile's cost of living is applied, it ranks 104th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Mobile 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 Mobile
A median home in Mobile, AL costs $197,857 — about 4.1× 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 $1,323/mo works out at 33% 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 Mobile.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Mobile | Rent vs Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +87% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +32% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +31% | 2.5× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +30% | 2.7× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Mobile | Rent vs Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville, AL | $51,330 | +7% | 1× |
| Birmingham, AL | $50,630 | +6% | 1.1× |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $49,490 | +3% | 1.1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $49,370 | +3% | 1.1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Mobile
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Austal USA · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Mobile
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.