Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $56,840 a year ($27.33 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn between $46,830 and $64,410 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,320 or less and the top 10 percent earn $79,490 or more. BLS estimates 49,750 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area — 15.123 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.14 (above the national concentration). That is 2.4% of all Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers employment in the United States (2,062,040 jobs nationally). By employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is the #5 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. In aggregate, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn about $2.89 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $48,911.54 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is about $2.43 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #21 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. By employment, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $56,840 falls between the national 25th percentile ($47,960) and the national median ($58,640). Across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $49,410 a year — Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay is 15.0% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $27.96 | $58,160 |
| 10th percentile | $18.42 | $38,320 |
| 25th percentile | $22.51 | $46,830 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $27.33 | $56,840 |
| 75th percentile | $30.97 | $64,410 |
| 90th percentile | $38.22 | $79,490 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($79,490 against $38,320). The middle half spans $17,580 — from $46,830 to $64,410. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($38.22) is 2.07 times the 10th ($18.42). In the upper half of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $64,410 takes home $53,933.56 and the 90th percentile wage of $79,490 takes home $64,751.38 — $10,817.82 more net for $15,080 more gross. Against the median take-home of $47,851.02, the top decile keeps 1.35 times as much. The mean wage of $58,160 sits 2.3% above the median: higher-paid Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pull the average up in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ranks #10 by median pay. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers sits between Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel at $63,090 and Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $49,460. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 29,037 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers; Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employs 1.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $56,840.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,640.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,524.08 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $824.18 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $8,988.98 |
| Net pay (annual) | $47,851.02 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,840.42 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.81% of gross |
At the median, $47,851.02 of the $56,840 gross is kept ($1,840.42 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.81%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.96% at the 10th percentile, 14.99% at the 25th percentile, 16.27% at the 75th percentile, 18.54% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $14,125.64 on a gross rise of $17,580.
The same engine at the other published points of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($38,320) | $32,969.98 | $1,268.08 | 13.96% |
| 25th percentile ($46,830) | $39,807.92 | $1,531.07 | 14.99% |
| Median ($56,840) | $47,851.02 | $1,840.42 | 15.81% |
| 75th percentile ($64,410) | $53,933.56 | $2,074.37 | 16.27% |
| 90th percentile ($79,490) | $64,751.38 | $2,490.44 | 18.54% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $32,969.98 a year at the 10th percentile to $64,751.38 at the 90th — a spread of $31,781.40 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median wage of $49,410 takes home $41,880.92 a year ($1,610.80 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.24%). The Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers median take-home of $47,851.02 sits $5,970.10 (above that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earns $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour). The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $56,840 is $1,800 (3.1%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $58,160 a year in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX against $59,710 nationally, a gap of $1,550 (2.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 90th percentile of $79,490 is 62% of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($128,040), and its 10th percentile of $38,320 is 140% of the area-wide 10th ($27,380).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $56,840 | $27.33 | $58,160 |
| United States | $58,640 | $28.19 | $59,710 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$56,840 a year ($27.33 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $58,160 a year. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #21 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $56,840 in Texas?
About $47,851.02 a year ($1,840.42 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.81% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $64,410, take-home is $53,933.56.
How does pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with the national median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $56,840 is $1,800 (3.1%) below the national median of $58,640 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $79,490, against a national 90th percentile of $79,380.
How much do the top 10% of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$79,490 a year or more ($38.22 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
On $79,490 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $64,751.38 a year ($2,490.44 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.54%.
How many Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs are there in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
BLS estimates 49,750 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — 15.123 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The location quotient is 1.14 — above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
From $32,969.98 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($38,320) to $64,751.38 at the 90th ($79,490), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
About $2.89 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 49,750 multiplied by the mean wage of $58,160.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.