Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Tuscaloosa, AL
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Tuscaloosa, AL: $49,490/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,520 – $78,480 · about 1,590 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$1,840 (-4%).
What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa
With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $49,490 has the buying power of about $55,540 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.
How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 124th of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 73rd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa
A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 4.5× 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 $1,485/mo works out at 36% 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 Tuscaloosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +81% | 0.9× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +28% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +27% | 2.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +26% | 2.4× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville, AL | $51,330 | +4% | 0.9× |
| Birmingham, AL | $50,630 | +2% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $49,370 | +0% | 0.9× |
| Mobile, AL | $47,980 | −3% | 0.9× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Tuscaloosa
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.