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Best states for a route driver
Quoted expert
Martin Garsee
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It seems like route drivers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for route drivers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of route drivers in America is $67,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for route drivers. Iowa is the best state for route drivers, where the median salary is $51,649.Iowa is the best state, and Falmouth is the city with the highest pay for route drivers.
10 best states for route drivers in 2025
1. Iowa
Total route driver jobs: 3,960 Average annual salary: $51,649 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
2. Michigan
Total route driver jobs: 6,324 Average annual salary: $52,967 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
3. Pennsylvania
Total route driver jobs: 11,695 Average annual salary: $50,845 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
4. Maine
Total route driver jobs: 701 Average annual salary: $56,590 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
5. Vermont
Total route driver jobs: 575 Average annual salary: $54,141 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
6. West Virginia
Total route driver jobs: 3,158 Average annual salary: $46,946 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 2.65
7. Massachusetts
Total route driver jobs: 2,684 Average annual salary: $58,113 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 0.37
8. Oregon
Total route driver jobs: 2,651 Average annual salary: $55,028 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
9. Indiana
Total route driver jobs: 9,157 Average annual salary: $47,354 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
10. Connecticut
Total route driver jobs: 1,940 Average annual salary: $55,558 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
Route driver jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a route driver
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a route driver
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $51,649 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 3,960 |
| 2 | Michigan | $52,967 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 6,324 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $50,845 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 11,695 |
| 4 | Maine | $56,590 | $39,000 | 1,335,907 | 701 |
| 5 | Vermont | $54,141 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 575 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $46,946 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 3,158 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $58,113 | $39,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,684 |
| 8 | Oregon | $55,028 | $38,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,651 |
| 9 | Indiana | $47,354 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 9,157 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $55,558 | $36,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,940 |
| 11 | California | $55,089 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 24,203 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $52,987 | $35,000 | 1,059,639 | 639 |
| 13 | New York | $56,291 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 6,401 |
| 14 | Delaware | $47,684 | $30,000 | 961,939 | 1,396 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $47,591 | $30,000 | 2,088,070 | 1,802 |
| 16 | Washington | $54,006 | $38,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,558 |
| 17 | Montana | $50,288 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 745 |
| 18 | Virginia | $49,406 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 7,715 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $45,770 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 3,331 |
| 20 | Illinois | $46,763 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 12,599 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $52,036 | $34,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,790 |
| 22 | Alabama | $43,517 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 5,088 |
| 23 | Texas | $47,684 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 10,874 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $48,626 | $34,000 | 755,393 | 372 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $43,626 | $28,000 | 6,715,984 | 5,605 |
| 26 | Maryland | $49,434 | $31,000 | 6,052,177 | 5,101 |
| 27 | Alaska | $54,149 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 190 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $43,816 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 2,954 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $43,743 | $29,000 | 5,795,483 | 5,423 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $54,600 | $35,000 | 693,972 | 146 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $44,564 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 569 |
| 32 | Ohio | $41,251 | $26,000 | 11,658,609 | 12,351 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $41,106 | $26,000 | 4,454,189 | 5,510 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $44,832 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 4,879 |
| 35 | Florida | $47,275 | $29,000 | 20,984,400 | 6,336 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $55,472 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 179 |
| 37 | Nevada | $44,759 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 1,170 |
| 38 | Georgia | $43,642 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 8,090 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $44,410 | $30,000 | 1,342,795 | 782 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $40,009 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 2,491 |
| 41 | Arizona | $42,449 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 3,909 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $39,148 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 589 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $38,536 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 4,861 |
| 44 | Missouri | $39,665 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 5,581 |
| 45 | Kansas | $37,205 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 3,362 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $32,472 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 3,071 |
| 47 | Utah | $40,459 | $27,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,877 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $39,026 | $24,000 | 10,273,419 | 6,942 |
| 49 | Colorado | $40,293 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 3,647 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $38,019 | $25,000 | 1,920,076 | 1,453 |
| 51 | Idaho | $38,198 | $26,000 | 1,716,943 | 850 |
Highest paying states for route drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. Route Driver Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $51,649 |
| 2 | Michigan | $52,967 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $50,845 |
| 4 | Maine | $56,590 |
| 5 | Vermont | $54,141 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $46,946 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $58,113 |
| 8 | Oregon | $55,028 |
| 9 | Indiana | $47,354 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $55,558 |
| 11 | California | $55,089 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $52,987 |
| 13 | New York | $56,291 |
| 14 | Delaware | $47,684 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $47,591 |
| 16 | Washington | $54,006 |
| 17 | Montana | $50,288 |
| 18 | Virginia | $49,406 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $45,770 |
| 20 | Illinois | $46,763 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $52,036 |
| 22 | Alabama | $43,517 |
| 23 | Texas | $47,684 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $48,626 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $43,626 |
| 26 | Maryland | $49,434 |
| 27 | Alaska | $54,149 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $43,816 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $43,743 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $54,600 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $44,564 |
| 32 | Ohio | $41,251 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $41,106 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $44,832 |
| 35 | Florida | $47,275 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $55,472 |
| 37 | Nevada | $44,759 |
| 38 | Georgia | $43,642 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $44,410 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $40,009 |
| 41 | Arizona | $42,449 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $39,148 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $38,536 |
| 44 | Missouri | $39,665 |
| 45 | Kansas | $37,205 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $32,472 |
| 47 | Utah | $40,459 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $39,026 |
| 49 | Colorado | $40,293 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $38,019 |
| 51 | Idaho | $38,198 |
Expert opinions on the best states for route drivers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for route drivers to find work opportunities?
Martin Garsee
Executive Director, NAPFTDS
Many over the road trucking companies will hire you from any location in the 48 contiguous states. Companies that have more set routes in a region of the country, will only hire in that region. Most companies, on their website, have a hiring area located. Where there is a dense population, there are more jobs available. Where there is a port, there are jobs that have to get the goods from the port to a warehouse for distribution, which may be local or hundreds of miles away. Where there is a concentration of manufacturing, raw material has to be brought in and completed products have to be shipped to their final destination.
In large cities there are a lot of delivery jobs to retail outlets.
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Updated January 8, 2025