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Best states for a truck driver
Quoted expert
Martin Garsee
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Do you want to become a truck driver at Knight Transportation, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for truck drivers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for truck driver jobs.
In order to get you the best states for truck drivers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Kentucky is the best state, and Wilmington is the city with the highest pay for truck drivers.
10 best states for truck drivers in 2025
1. Kentucky
Total truck driver jobs: 6,466 Average annual salary: $68,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 2.032. Pennsylvania
Total truck driver jobs: 14,369 Average annual salary: $68,232 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.433. Indiana
Total truck driver jobs: 9,598 Average annual salary: $67,338 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.694. Delaware
Total truck driver jobs: 1,484 Average annual salary: $70,901 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.375. Mississippi
Total truck driver jobs: 3,254 Average annual salary: $66,365 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.786. Ohio
Total truck driver jobs: 15,146 Average annual salary: $65,665 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.727. Oklahoma
Total truck driver jobs: 3,032 Average annual salary: $67,261 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.148. Rhode Island
Total truck driver jobs: 671 Average annual salary: $70,834 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 0.649. Wisconsin
Total truck driver jobs: 5,493 Average annual salary: $66,857 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.1510. Arkansas
Total truck driver jobs: 2,518 Average annual salary: $65,794 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
Truck driver jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a truck driver
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a truck driver
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | $68,557 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 6,466 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $68,232 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 14,369 |
| 3 | Indiana | $67,338 | $45,000 | 6,666,818 | 9,598 |
| 4 | Delaware | $70,901 | $47,000 | 961,939 | 1,484 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $66,365 | $44,000 | 2,984,100 | 3,254 |
| 6 | Ohio | $65,665 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 15,146 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $67,261 | $45,000 | 3,930,864 | 3,032 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $70,834 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 671 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $66,857 | $45,000 | 5,795,483 | 5,493 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $65,794 | $44,000 | 3,004,279 | 2,518 |
| 11 | Vermont | $69,340 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 548 |
| 12 | Nevada | $69,012 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 1,174 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $69,288 | $46,000 | 1,342,795 | 751 |
| 14 | Georgia | $66,979 | $44,000 | 10,429,379 | 11,270 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $70,082 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,995 |
| 16 | Missouri | $65,648 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 7,446 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,149 | $43,000 | 579,315 | 561 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $65,096 | $43,000 | 10,273,419 | 8,181 |
| 19 | Iowa | $63,473 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 5,212 |
| 20 | Kansas | $64,531 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 3,467 |
| 21 | Maryland | $67,819 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 5,113 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $70,043 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,913 |
| 23 | New York | $69,847 | $46,000 | 19,849,399 | 6,576 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $63,692 | $42,000 | 5,024,369 | 6,790 |
| 25 | Alabama | $63,414 | $42,000 | 4,874,747 | 5,081 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $65,995 | $45,000 | 5,576,606 | 4,842 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $61,668 | $41,000 | 1,815,857 | 3,146 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $71,360 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 155 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $65,342 | $44,000 | 755,393 | 365 |
| 30 | Michigan | $63,047 | $42,000 | 9,962,311 | 6,462 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $60,653 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 7,059 |
| 32 | Illinois | $61,732 | $42,000 | 12,802,023 | 16,478 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $61,479 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 1,962 |
| 34 | Virginia | $64,083 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 7,522 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $62,449 | $42,000 | 869,666 | 560 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $58,551 | $39,000 | 4,684,333 | 4,325 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $65,144 | $43,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,643 |
| 38 | California | $62,190 | $39,000 | 39,536,653 | 22,701 |
| 39 | Maine | $62,971 | $42,000 | 1,335,907 | 717 |
| 40 | Arizona | $60,400 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 3,755 |
| 41 | Utah | $60,538 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,808 |
| 42 | Washington | $61,194 | $38,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,222 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $54,316 | $37,000 | 1,920,076 | 1,519 |
| 44 | Montana | $56,810 | $37,000 | 1,050,493 | 717 |
| 45 | Colorado | $58,278 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 3,312 |
| 46 | Oregon | $53,050 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,585 |
| 47 | Texas | $50,414 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 12,691 |
| 48 | Idaho | $47,833 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 1,320 |
| 49 | Florida | $56,563 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 6,139 |
| 50 | Alaska | $47,735 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 149 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $44,475 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 154 |
Highest paying states for truck drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. Truck Driver Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | $68,557 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $68,232 |
| 3 | Indiana | $67,338 |
| 4 | Delaware | $70,901 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $66,365 |
| 6 | Ohio | $65,665 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $67,261 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $70,834 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $66,857 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $65,794 |
| 11 | Vermont | $69,340 |
| 12 | Nevada | $69,012 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $69,288 |
| 14 | Georgia | $66,979 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $70,082 |
| 16 | Missouri | $65,648 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,149 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $65,096 |
| 19 | Iowa | $63,473 |
| 20 | Kansas | $64,531 |
| 21 | Maryland | $67,819 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $70,043 |
| 23 | New York | $69,847 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $63,692 |
| 25 | Alabama | $63,414 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $65,995 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $61,668 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $71,360 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $65,342 |
| 30 | Michigan | $63,047 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $60,653 |
| 32 | Illinois | $61,732 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $61,479 |
| 34 | Virginia | $64,083 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $62,449 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $58,551 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $65,144 |
| 38 | California | $62,190 |
| 39 | Maine | $62,971 |
| 40 | Arizona | $60,400 |
| 41 | Utah | $60,538 |
| 42 | Washington | $61,194 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $54,316 |
| 44 | Montana | $56,810 |
| 45 | Colorado | $58,278 |
| 46 | Oregon | $53,050 |
| 47 | Texas | $50,414 |
| 48 | Idaho | $47,833 |
| 49 | Florida | $56,563 |
| 50 | Alaska | $47,735 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $44,475 |
Expert opinions on the best states for truck drivers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for truck 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