Find a Job You Really Want In
Delivery Drivers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as delivery drivers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since delivery drivers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where delivery drivers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for delivery drivers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s delivery drivers:
So there you have it — Light Truck Or Delivery Services Drivers is the best of the best when it comes to being a delivery driver.
How did Light Truck Or Delivery Services Drivers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for delivery drivers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- Best Companies to Work For in Chicago, IL
- These Are The 20 Best Small Companies In Chicago To Work For
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Chicago
How we determined the best states to be a delivery driver
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
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for delivery drivers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well delivery drivers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for delivery drivers in California is $40,110 and the average salary in Illinois is $39,770, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for delivery drivers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for delivery drivers.
1. Illinois
Total Jobs: 49,140
Average Annual Salary: $39,770
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,250
Average Experienced Salary: $65,140
Location Quotient: 1.3
2. Michigan
Total Jobs: 28,860
Average Annual Salary: $36,230
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,960
Average Experienced Salary: $61,940
Location Quotient: 1.06
3. Kentucky
Total Jobs: 15,680
Average Annual Salary: $35,990
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,680
Average Experienced Salary: $61,900
Location Quotient: 1.31
4. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 1,480
Average Annual Salary: $39,100
Average Entry Level Salary: $21,770
Average Experienced Salary: $62,500
Location Quotient: 0.87
5. Kansas
Total Jobs: 8,400
Average Annual Salary: $37,440
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,970
Average Experienced Salary: $64,290
Location Quotient: 0.97
6. Tennessee
Total Jobs: 18,250
Average Annual Salary: $36,640
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,810
Average Experienced Salary: $63,500
Location Quotient: 0.98
7. Arizona
Total Jobs: 15,300
Average Annual Salary: $39,150
Average Entry Level Salary: $23,080
Average Experienced Salary: $69,070
Location Quotient: 0.87
8. Texas
Total Jobs: 65,960
Average Annual Salary: $37,590
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,590
Average Experienced Salary: $66,560
Location Quotient: 0.86
9. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 2,060
Average Annual Salary: $41,900
Average Entry Level Salary: $23,670
Average Experienced Salary: $67,280
Location Quotient: 0.78
10. Georgia
Total Jobs: 27,890
Average Annual Salary: $36,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,110
Average Experienced Salary: $62,130
Location Quotient: 1.0
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Delivery Driver
If you’re looking to start out your career as a delivery driver these are the states 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 states to be a delivery driver in America:
For more reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best States For delivery drivers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $39,770 |
| 2 | Michigan | $36,230 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $35,990 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $39,100 |
| 5 | Kansas | $37,440 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $36,640 |
| 7 | Arizona | $39,150 |
| 8 | Texas | $37,590 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $41,900 |
| 10 | Georgia | $36,700 |
| 11 | Idaho | $34,630 |
| 12 | Colorado | $38,970 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $31,970 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $40,440 |
| 15 | Missouri | $35,070 |
| 16 | Washington | $41,160 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $32,220 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $35,760 |
| 19 | Indiana | $33,930 |
| 20 | Ohio | $33,960 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $32,380 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $34,270 |
| 23 | Utah | $35,810 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $33,850 |
| 25 | Florida | $35,370 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $32,930 |
| 27 | Montana | $34,930 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $35,130 |
| 29 | Iowa | $33,150 |
| 30 | Alabama | $30,910 |
| 31 | Nevada | $38,090 |
| 32 | Delaware | $35,710 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $34,000 |
| 34 | Virginia | $35,530 |
| 35 | Alaska | $44,750 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $34,110 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $32,400 |
| 38 | New Jersey | $38,220 |
| 39 | Vermont | $36,880 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | $36,170 |
| 41 | Maryland | $39,210 |
| 42 | Oregon | $37,730 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $33,700 |
| 44 | Maine | $33,850 |
| 45 | Massachusetts | $40,960 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $37,990 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $35,210 |
| 48 | California | $40,110 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $37,610 |
| 50 | New York | $38,160 |
Author
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.
