Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Rockford, IL
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Rockford, IL: $56,980/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $37,720 – $90,370 · about 1,930 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$5,650 (+11%).
What it's really worth in Rockford
With Rockford's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $56,980 has the buying power of about $63,195 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $63,834 · median home $221,368 · median rent $1,319/mo.
How Rockford ranks for this job
On raw pay, Rockford, IL is 42nd of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Rockford's cost of living is applied, it ranks 5th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Rockford 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 Rockford
A median home in Rockford, IL costs $221,368 — about 3.9× 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 $1,319/mo works out at 28% 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 Rockford.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Rockford | Rent vs Rockford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +58% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +11% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +10% | 2.5× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +10% | 2.7× |
Same job elsewhere in IL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Rockford | Rent vs Rockford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $61,060 | +7% | 1.7× |
| Peoria, IL | $48,540 | −15% | 0.9× |
Staying in IL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers around Rockford
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles · Manufacturing
- Haldex Hydraulics Corporation · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Rockford
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.