How much does a Professional Driver make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Professional Driver in the United States is $41,627 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $20.
However, a Professional Driver's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $49,591
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $36,725 to $45,796
Key Factors That Influence Professional Driver Salaries
A Professional Driver's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Professional Driver Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Professional Drivers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $52,504
San Francisco: $51,929
Oakland: $50,835
San Jose, CA$52,504
San Francisco, CA$51,929
Oakland, CA$50,835
New York, NY$47,929
Paramus, NJ$47,346
Queens Village, NY$47,344
Passaic, NJ$47,305
Bergenfield, NJ$47,301
Stamford, CT$47,209
Huntington, NY$47,192
Newark, NJ$46,884
Bridgeport, CT$46,797
Vallejo, CA$46,714
New Brunswick, NJ$46,697
Petaluma, CA$46,672
Middlesex, NJ$46,593
Somerset, NJ$46,564
Santa Cruz, CA$46,510
Boston, MA$46,256
Monterey, CA$46,110
Seattle, WA$46,014
Santa Rosa, CA$46,006
Los Angeles, CA$45,994
Juneau, AK$45,885
Washington, DC$45,840
Orange, CA$45,691
Santa Ana, CA$45,582
Long Beach, CA$45,540
Anaheim, CA$45,532
Anchorage, AK$45,511
Santa Maria, CA$45,386
Everett, WA$45,378
Danbury, CT$45,231
Bremerton, WA$45,174
Tacoma, WA$45,024
New Suffolk, NY$45,023
Sacramento, CA$45,011
Santa Barbara, CA$44,965
Trenton, NJ$44,920
San Diego, CA$44,920
Brockton, MA$44,874
Fairbanks, AK$44,772
Lompoc, CA$44,666
Lowell, MA$44,632
Ventura, CA$44,624
Nashua, NH$44,616
Stockton, CA$44,612
Modesto, CA$44,308
Poughkeepsie, NY$44,216
Olympia, WA$44,137
Kennewick, WA$44,137
New Haven, CT$44,120
Lawrence, MA$43,971
Hartford, CT$43,929
Riverside, CA$43,921
New Bedford, MA$43,879
Richland, WA$43,879
Bakersfield, CA$43,821
San Bernardino, CA$43,804
New Britain, CT$43,800
Atlantic City, NJ$43,800
New London, CT$43,783
Norwich, CT$43,771
Portsmouth, NH$43,762
Boulder, CO$43,674
Portland, OR$43,617
Worcester, MA$43,613
Minneapolis, MN$43,484
Philadelphia, PA$43,425
Honolulu, HI$43,288
Saint Paul, MN$43,268
Vineland, NJ$43,259
Providence, RI$43,138
Chicago, IL$43,017
Bellingham, WA$42,967
Springfield, MA$42,934
Baltimore, MD$42,922
Chico, CA$42,818
Pittsfield, MA$42,705
Manchester, NH$42,626
Spokane, WA$42,443
Denver, CO$42,439
Albany, NY$42,243
Troy, NY$42,226
Nassau, NY$42,182
Schenectady, NY$42,139
Wilmington, DE$42,106
Burlington, VT$42,047
Salem, OR$42,031
Portland, ME$41,902
Yakima, WA$41,860
Rochester, MN$41,731
Reno, NV$41,710
Fresno, CA$41,710
Milwaukee, WI$41,673
Detroit, MI$41,631
Ann Arbor, MI$41,624
Allentown, PA$41,619
Colorado Springs, CO$41,548
Syracuse, NY$41,527
Carson City, NV$41,527
Houston, TX$41,469
Eugene, OR$41,448
Gary, IN$41,398
Springfield, OR$41,365
Bismarck, ND$41,356
Galveston, TX$41,327
Medford, OR$41,265
Fort Collins, CO$41,248
Concord, NH$41,227
Austin, TX$41,215
Mesa, AZ$41,127
Reading, PA$41,123
Phoenix, AZ$41,119
Dallas, TX$41,107
Saint Cloud, MN$41,067
Madison, WI$41,011
Utica, NY$40,899
Rochester, NY$40,832
Des Moines, IA$40,828
Raleigh, NC$40,824
Atlanta, GA$40,761
Battle Creek, MI$40,749
Salt Lake City, UT$40,736
Lancaster, PA$40,674
Harrisburg, PA$40,615
Kansas City, MO$40,574
Champaign, IL$40,566
Kansas City, KS$40,566
Fort Worth, TX$40,561
Columbus, OH$40,554
Boca Raton, FL$40,545
Pittsburgh, PA$40,528
Richmond, VA$40,511
Indianapolis, IN$40,503
Cleveland, OH$40,499
Las Vegas, NV$40,449
Cincinnati, OH$40,449
Petersburg, VA$40,387
Huntsville, AL$40,324
Lansing, MI$40,296
Lebanon, PA$40,291
Pueblo, CO$40,287
Appleton, WI$40,274
Buffalo, NY$40,257
Dayton, OH$40,245
Racine, WI$40,237
Charlotte, NC$40,232
Saint Louis, MO$40,220
York, PA$40,195
Elkhart, IN$40,195
Gastonia, NC$40,187
Billings, MT$40,177
Beaumont, TX$40,166
Lorain, OH$40,158
Benton Harbor, MI$40,149
Toledo, OH$40,141
Binghamton, NY$40,120
Rock Hill, SC$40,116
Rockford, IL$40,095
Springfield, IL$40,078
Elyria, OH$40,074
Fargo, ND$40,074
Flagstaff, AZ$40,045
Fort Lauderdale, FL$40,020
Duluth, MN$39,995
Miami, FL$39,995
Cheyenne, WY$39,966
Grand Forks, ND$39,966
Bangor, ME$39,875
Cedar Rapids, IA$39,829
Durham, NC$39,811
Louisville, KY$39,808
Grand Rapids, MI$39,800
Hialeah, FL$39,795
Casper, WY$39,737
Scranton, PA$39,687
New Orleans, LA$39,675
Virginia Beach, VA$39,671
Akron, OH$39,650
Peoria, IL$39,596
Sarasota, FL$39,587
Nashville, TN$39,558
Omaha, NE$39,558
Green Bay, WI$39,558
Baton Rouge, LA$39,537
Charleston, SC$39,529
Jamestown, NY$39,508
Davenport, IA$39,508
Tucson, AZ$39,487
Saint Petersburg, FL$39,462
Tampa, FL$39,454
Evansville, IN$39,429
Port Arthur, TX$39,429
Bradenton, FL$39,412
Santa Fe, NM$39,338
Orlando, FL$39,263
Clearwater, FL$39,250
Canton, OH$39,163
La Crosse, WI$39,163
Albuquerque, NM$39,138
Newport News, VA$39,134
High Point, NC$39,121
Ogden, UT$39,104
Corpus Christi, TX$39,071
Norfolk, VA$39,046
Laramie, WY$39,046
Rock Island, IL$39,021
Saginaw, MI$39,013
Jacksonville, FL$39,009
Salisbury, NC$39,000
Boise, ID$38,992
Moline, IL$38,971
Fort Myers, FL$38,959
Memphis, TN$38,950
Tulsa, OK$38,930
Waterloo, IA$38,905
Spartanburg, SC$38,863
Lincoln, NE$38,842
Fort Wayne, IN$38,834
Provo, UT$38,830
Cedar Falls, IA$38,780
San Antonio, TX$38,763
Greensboro, NC$38,746
South Bend, IN$38,742
Savannah, GA$38,696
Muskegon, MI$38,680
Birmingham, AL$38,676
Winston Salem, NC$38,655
Lake Charles, LA$38,555
Anderson, IN$38,547
Lexington, KY$38,534
Augusta, GA$38,522
Greenville, SC$38,522
Lima, OH$38,488
Wichita, KS$38,484
Tuscaloosa, AL$38,484
Columbia, SC$38,447
Springfield, OH$38,438
Asheville, NC$38,372
Bloomington, IN$38,343
Knoxville, TN$38,193
Shreveport, LA$38,189
Wilmington, NC$38,134
Roanoke, VA$38,134
Topeka, KS$38,060
Frankfort, KY$38,055
Oklahoma City, OK$38,026
Chillicothe, OH$38,010
Longview, TX$38,005
Melbourne, FL$38,001
Sioux Falls, SD$37,935
Mobile, AL$37,931
Terre Haute, IN$37,914
Altoona, PA$37,889
Amarillo, TX$37,860
Killeen, TX$37,847
Fayetteville, AR$37,814
Chattanooga, TN$37,801
Sioux City, IA$37,764
Idaho Falls, ID$37,756
Lynchburg, VA$37,722
Gainesville, FL$37,668
Portsmouth, OH$37,647
Little Rock, AR$37,639
Lafayette, LA$37,622
Youngstown, OH$37,622
Daytona Beach, FL$37,598
Clarksville, TN$37,593
Pensacola, FL$37,589
Temple, TX$37,586
Hopkinsville, KY$37,464
Erie, PA$37,456
Florence, SC$37,439
Charleston, WV$37,373
Great Falls, MT$37,352
Macon, GA$37,294
Tallahassee, FL$37,289
Fayetteville, NC$37,281
Waco, TX$37,273
Helena, MT$37,244
Pine Bluff, AR$37,228
Vincennes, IN$37,177
Lubbock, TX$37,160
Alamogordo, NM$37,135
Twin Falls, ID$37,098
Rapid City, SD$37,085
Jackson, MS$37,011
Huntington, WV$37,008
Greenville, MS$37,006
Parkersburg, WV$36,964
Montgomery, AL$36,956
Wichita Falls, TX$36,915
Springfield, MO$36,915
Biloxi, MS$36,894
Monroe, LA$36,852
Johnstown, PA$36,823
Sumter, SC$36,807
Columbus, GA$36,802
Pascagoula, MS$36,723
Abilene, TX$36,723
Kingsport, TN$36,615
Albany, GA$36,615
Gulfport, MS$36,603
Alexandria, LA$36,465
Fort Smith, AR$36,361
El Paso, TX$36,249
Las Cruces, NM$36,061
Harlingen, TX$35,956
Pocatello, ID$35,949
Florence, AL$35,895
Brownsville, TX$35,887
Mcallen, TX$35,799
Dothan, AL$35,741
Columbus, MS$35,494
Altus, OK$35,300
Lawton, OK$35,221
Pierre, SD$35,071
What Skills Can Increase a Professional Driver's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Verbal Communication (Mentioned in 9.17% Job Postings): Verbal communication is defined as communication to express our views, information, and ideas in the form of sound and words.
Workday (Mentioned in 2.45% Job Postings): A cloud-based human resource management software system that unifies a wide range of HR functionality into a single system.
Package Delivery (Mentioned in 1.78% Job Postings): Package delivery or parcel delivery is the delivery of shipping containers, parcels, or high value mail as single shipments. The service is provided by most postal systems, express mail, private courier companies, and less than truckload shipping carriers.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Professional Driver's salary.
Service Quality: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Container: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Facilities Maintenance: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Professional Driver Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Professional Driver roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Software & Networking and Internet
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average.
In contrast, Professional Driver positions in Retail & Wholesale or Telecom typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Professional Driver as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Professional Driver
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking
$62,440
$30.0
50%
Internet
$58,278
$28.0
40%
Pharmaceuticals
$56,196
$27.0
35%
Biotechnology
$54,115
$26.0
30%
Financial Services
$52,034
$25.0
25%
How Education impacts a Professional Driver's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Professional Drivers enter the field with a No Diploma degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Professional Driver with a No Diploma is between
$33,285
and $36,826).
Professional Driver Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Professional Driver's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a Professional Driver can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $49,033 in 2023
to around $47,409 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Professional Driver salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Professional Driver Over Time
$???
$49,033
$47,925
$47,409
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$49,033
2024
$47,925
2025
$47,409
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Professional Driver
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Professional Driver
Here are companies hiring for Professional Driver and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Professional Driver Job
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Professional Driver job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Professional Driver
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Professional Driver?
The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Professional Driver roles,
with salaries approximately 50% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
