Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Salary in Charlotte, NC (2024)
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area earn a median of $51,930 per year ($24.97 per hour) based on 19,280 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -9.6% against the national median of $57,440 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers actually sit across the pay range in Charlotte, NC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.58 | $42,800 | |
| 25th percentile | $22.63 | $47,070 | |
| Median | $24.97 | $51,930 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $30.15 | $62,710 | |
| 90th percentile | $36.50 | $75,920 | |
| Average (mean) | $27.14 | $56,440 |
How Charlotte, NC compares
The local median of $51,930 runs -9.6% below the US median of $57,440 for this occupation; it pays 6.2% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($48,880); within the metro it ranks 347th of 641 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC — this occupation | $51,930 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $57,440 | -9.6% |
| Charlotte, NC — all occupations | $48,880 | +6.2% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $69,290 | -25.1% |
The location quotient of 1.07 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.9%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 347th of 641 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Charlotte, NC
To put $51,930 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 347th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $238,780 | 980 |
| Dentists, General | $192,580 | 820 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $172,640 | 50 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,100 | 7,580 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,590 | 1,780 |
| Financial Managers | $167,470 | 8,790 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $165,120 | 480 |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | $164,160 | 220 |
| Commercial Pilots | $163,530 | 420 |
| Marketing Managers | $158,490 | 3,750 |
Where heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $49,320 to $69,290. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $69,290 | 21,220 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $65,220 | 64,440 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $64,210 | 16,870 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $63,500 | 14,460 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $63,170 | 19,770 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $62,880 | 15,420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $62,430 | 54,680 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $61,530 | 20,220 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $60,680 | 42,710 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $60,000 | 29,090 |
See the full national picture on the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Charlotte, NC?
The median annual wage is $51,930, or $25 per hour. That means half of the heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers working in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $56,440.
What do the highest and lowest paid heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Charlotte, NC earn?
The bottom 10% earn $42,800 or less, while the top 10% earn $75,920 or more — a spread of $33,120 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $47,070 and $62,710.
Is heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers pay in Charlotte, NC above the local average?
Yes, it is 6.2% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $48,880. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Charlotte, NC pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $51,930 the metro median is 9.6% lower than the US median of $57,440 for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $49,320 to $69,290.
How many heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in Charlotte, NC?
BLS counts about 19,280 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 14.38 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.07 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.8%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.