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These Are The 10 Best Cities For Truck Drivers

By Chris Kolmar
Nov. 28, 2016

Find a Job You Really Want In

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Whether you’re just starting out your career, or looking to make a move, it can be important to know what part of the country offers the best chance for your long term career prospects. And for a very common profession like Truck Drivers, the regional differences can have a big impact on your salary and career options.

To help you make the best decision possible, we at Zippia wanted to look at the cities that offer truck drivers the most for their career. These are the cities across the US where truck drivers get paid well, relative to the cost of living, and jobs are plentiful.

So we did what we do best and dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which cities have the best opportunities for truck drivers.The result is this list of the best cities truck drivers:

  1. Morristown, TN
  2. Midland, TX
  3. Fayetteville, AR
  4. Casper, WY
  5. Gary, IN
  6. Odessa, TX
  7. Fargo, ND
  8. Billings, MT
  9. Bismarck, ND
  10. Michigan City, IN

So there you have it — Morristown is the best city when it comes to being a truck driver.

And where should you consider avoiding if you’re a truck driver? That would be Ithaca.

Read on to see how we completed our research on the best cities for truck drivers and for more on the top ten cities.

How we determined the best cities to be a truck drivers?




Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:

  • Availability of jobs
  • Pay

So in order to find out the best cities for truck drivers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well truck drivers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2015:

  • Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given city.
  • Average annual salary.
  • Average annual salary for entry level work.

To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across cities, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.

This left us with enough data for 412 metro areas across the country. We then took the primary area of the metro and labeled that the ‘city’ for this analysis. So, for example, “Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division” became simply Boston.

In order to develop an overall ranking, we ranked each city for each criteria from 1 to 412 where 1 was the best.

We then averaged all the rankings for a city into a Job Score with the city having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best city for truck drivers in America.

So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each city so great for truck drivers.

1. Morristown, TN

Total Jobs: 1,420
Average Annual Salary: $46,250
Average Entry Level Salary: $32,270
Location Quotient: 2.8

2. Midland, TX

Total Jobs: 4,810
Average Annual Salary: $46,420
Average Entry Level Salary: $32,560
Location Quotient: 4.25

3. Fayetteville, AR

Total Jobs: 9,400
Average Annual Salary: $43,830
Average Entry Level Salary: $29,500
Location Quotient: 3.47

4. Casper, WY

Total Jobs: 920
Average Annual Salary: $55,190
Average Entry Level Salary: $36,030
Location Quotient: 1.77

5. Gary, IN

Total Jobs: 5,590
Average Annual Salary: $47,970
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,160
Location Quotient: 1.73

6. Odessa, TX

Total Jobs: 2,640
Average Annual Salary: $45,550
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,020
Location Quotient: 2.87

7. Fargo, ND

Total Jobs: 3,150
Average Annual Salary: $44,470
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,410
Location Quotient: 1.9

8. Billings, MT

Total Jobs: 1,540
Average Annual Salary: $47,440
Average Entry Level Salary: $33,050
Location Quotient: 1.5

9. Bismarck, ND

Total Jobs: 1,270
Average Annual Salary: $56,020
Average Entry Level Salary: $39,040
Location Quotient: 1.41

10. Michigan City, IN

Total Jobs: 710
Average Annual Salary: $47,900
Average Entry Level Salary: $33,950
Location Quotient: 1.45

And that’s our list of the best cities for truck drivers

If you’re looking to start out your career as a truck driver these are the cities that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.

If you’re curious, here are the worst cities to be a truck driver in America:

  1. Ithaca
  2. Crestview
  3. Sebring

Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Truck Drivers

Rank State Average Salary Entry Level Salary # Of People
1 Morristown, TN $46,250 $32,270 1,420
2 Midland, TX $46,420 $32,560 4,810
3 Fayetteville, AR $43,830 $29,500 9,400
4 Casper, WY $55,190 $36,030 920
5 Gary, IN $47,970 $31,160 5,590
6 Odessa, TX $45,550 $31,020 2,640
7 Fargo, ND $44,470 $31,410 3,150
8 Billings, MT $47,440 $33,050 1,540
9 Bismarck, ND $56,020 $39,040 1,270
10 Michigan City, IN $47,900 $33,950 710
11 Des Moines, IA $45,430 $32,710 6,980
12 Fond du Lac, WI $46,990 $31,850 1,260
13 Racine, WI $48,140 $33,500 1,460
14 Grand Forks, ND $44,100 $29,890 1,060
15 Spartanburg, SC $42,750 $28,960 3,220
16 Indianapolis, IN $45,330 $31,470 16,750
17 Harrisburg, PA $46,480 $30,830 6,060
18 Lafayette, IN $47,450 $32,100 1,330
19 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY $44,990 $30,610 8,780
20 Sioux Falls, SD $41,360 $27,150 3,100
21 Ogden, UT $45,110 $32,370 3,590
22 Tacoma, WA $47,360 $33,490 4,480
23 Cheyenne, WY $44,030 $28,530 910
24 Mount Vernon, WA $50,220 $31,830 710
25 Lebanon, PA $43,230 $31,570 1,230
26 Omaha, NE $41,090 $31,150 13,520
27 Farmington, NM $42,920 $28,320 1,230
28 Birmingham, AL $45,720 $26,680 8,690
29 Toledo, OH $44,650 $28,220 4,550
30 South Bend, IN $49,830 $29,060 1,800
31 Lexington, KY $44,320 $26,630 3,730
32 Knoxville, TN $44,540 $26,810 7,090
33 Jackson, MS $45,220 $25,740 5,510
34 Reno, NV $47,620 $34,460 3,240
35 Akron, OH $44,340 $28,730 4,560
36 Gadsden, AL $44,660 $26,790 560
37 Joplin, MO $42,300 $25,510 4,190
38 York, PA $43,980 $32,420 3,080
39 Lewiston, ID $41,570 $26,750 450
40 Sioux City, IA $42,280 $28,530 2,790
41 Columbus, OH $45,590 $30,300 12,310
42 Springfield, OH $45,110 $25,140 1,040
43 Greeley, CO $44,800 $33,350 4,550
44 La Crosse, WI $44,920 $31,110 1,390
45 Morgantown, WV $45,880 $25,990 930
46 Fort Smith, AR $37,550 $26,120 4,590
47 Longview, TX $42,280 $27,450 2,770
48 Corpus Christi, TX $43,580 $27,690 3,470
49 Cincinnati, OH $43,410 $30,640 12,360
50 Weirton, WV $40,000 $28,080 620
51 Allentown, PA $44,590 $29,660 5,830
52 Kansas City, MO $43,880 $28,470 12,950
53 Abilene, TX $43,770 $27,860 1,050
54 Charleston, SC $42,320 $27,620 4,770
55 St. Cloud, MN $44,340 $30,430 2,250
56 Oshkosh, WI $42,670 $31,340 1,920
57 Danville, IL $54,100 $27,270 660
58 Longview, WA $45,340 $29,650 640
59 Decatur, IL $46,750 $29,040 1,040
60 Nashville, TN $41,600 $26,840 15,940
61 Fairbanks, AK $51,130 $40,870 400
62 Youngstown, OH $41,430 $26,020 3,850
63 Davenport, IA $42,190 $29,220 3,140
64 Wheeling, WV $39,300 $28,080 890
65 Springfield, MO $42,080 $24,150 6,210
66 Cleveland, OH $44,560 $30,360 10,090
67 Altoona, PA $42,930 $27,940 1,320
68 Williamsport, PA $40,350 $31,090 1,110
69 Tulsa, OK $44,840 $27,250 5,200
70 Columbus, IN $38,290 $31,460 830
71 Elizabethtown, KY $41,310 $27,190 520
72 Reading, PA $43,430 $32,060 2,200
73 Bloomsburg, PA $45,800 $27,800 660
74 Gainesville, GA $43,020 $26,760 1,270
75 Bowling Green, KY $39,990 $26,000 790
76 Chicago, IL $49,180 $31,180 39,410
77 Little Rock, AR $39,110 $25,470 5,380
78 St. Louis, MO $43,050 $27,460 14,840
79 Montgomery County, PA $47,000 $33,310 9,040
80 Mobile, AL $39,030 $26,630 2,830
81 Rapid City, SD $40,490 $27,140 820
82 Bellingham, WA $45,330 $32,910 920
83 Scranton, PA $44,840 $26,580 4,880
84 Riverside, CA $48,190 $32,390 25,710
85 Kennewick, WA $47,930 $28,510 1,410
86 Wenatchee, WA $42,010 $30,730 730
87 Cedar Rapids, IA $40,890 $26,580 5,250
88 Taunton, MA $48,530 $34,550 1,100
89 Chattanooga, TN $39,240 $26,000 4,960
90 Anchorage, AK $53,840 $33,760 1,380
91 Provo, UT $47,110 $32,630 1,390
92 Canton, OH $41,000 $25,500 2,400
93 Albany, OR $39,310 $31,320 1,030
94 Charleston, WV $38,820 $25,770 1,680
95 Baton Rouge, LA $43,200 $27,790 4,600
96 Amarillo, TX $41,840 $25,740 2,410
97 Fort Worth, TX $42,330 $26,110 16,990
98 Lima, OH $40,070 $25,770 720
99 Eau Claire, WI $41,400 $30,690 1,280
100 San Angelo, TX $40,760 $28,920 610
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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