Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Trenton, NJ
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Trenton, NJ: $58,340/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $43,610 – $76,740 · about 1,450 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($51,330) by +$7,010 (+14%).
What it's really worth in Trenton
With Trenton's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $58,340 has the buying power of about $56,963 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $92,697 · median home $446,377 · median rent $2,623/mo.
How Trenton ranks for this job
On raw pay, Trenton, NJ is 26th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Trenton's cost of living is applied, it ranks 52nd.
The headline number flatters Trenton. 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 Trenton
A median home in Trenton, NJ costs $446,377 — about 7.7× 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 $2,623/mo works out at 54% 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 Trenton.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Trenton | Rent vs Trenton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +54% | 0.5× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +9% | 0.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +8% | 1.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +7% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in NJ
| Metro | Median pay | vs Trenton | Rent vs Trenton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City, NJ | $56,220 | −4% | 0.8× |
Staying in NJ keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Trenton
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.