SOC 53-3032 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers — New Jersey
New Jersey · 3 metro areas compared
The median wage for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in New Jersey is $63,570 per year, 8.4% above the national median of $58,640.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +4.0%
- Openings per year
- 237,600
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
6.9% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for New Jersey.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in New Jersey is $63,570 per year, 8.4% above the national median of $58,640. Pay ranges from under $47,950 at the tenth percentile to more than $90,310 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $57,400 to $76,450.
Employment stands at 47,980, or 11.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, New Jersey ranks 4th by median wage. Vineland leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $60,360. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 404th of 736 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $47,950 | −18.2% |
| 25th | $57,400 | −2.1% |
| Median (50th) | $63,570 | +8.4% |
| 75th | $76,450 | +30.4% |
| 90th | $90,310 | +54.0% |
| Mean | $66,770 | +13.9% |
Highest-paying metro areas in New Jersey
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vineland | $60,360 | 920 | |
| 2 | Trenton | $59,460 | 1,230 | |
| 3 | Atlantic City | $58,770 | 940 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New Jersey run 8.8% above the national average, so the median of $63,570 buys what $58,428 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 0.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$63,570as reported by BLSLocal price level
108.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$58,428US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $63,570 a year, 8.4% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $47,950 to $90,310 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 47,980 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 4th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Vineland, at $60,360.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in New Jersey?
The median annual wage is $63,570, or $30.56 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $58,640, so pay in New Jersey is 8.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in New Jersey earns more than $90,310 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $47,950 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Vineland, at $60,360 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 47,980 jobs in this occupation in New Jersey. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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