Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Raleigh, NC
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Raleigh, NC: $49,510/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $38,430 – $75,580 · about 7,030 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$1,820 (-4%).
What it's really worth in Raleigh
With Raleigh's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $49,510 has the buying power of about $50,338 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $91,818 · median home $438,364 · median rent $1,694/mo.
How Raleigh ranks for this job
On raw pay, Raleigh, NC is 123rd of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Raleigh's cost of living is applied, it ranks 156th.
The headline number flatters Raleigh. 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 Raleigh
A median home in Raleigh, NC costs $438,364 — about 8.9× 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 $1,694/mo works out at 41% 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 Raleigh.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Raleigh | Rent vs Raleigh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +81% | 0.8× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +28% | 1.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +27% | 1.9× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +26% | 2.1× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Raleigh | Rent vs Raleigh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $52,090 | +5% | 1× |
| Durham, NC | $51,220 | +3% | 1× |
| Hickory, NC | $50,600 | +2% | 0.9× |
| Greensboro, NC | $49,720 | +0% | 0.8× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Raleigh
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.