How much does a Truck Driver make in Alaska?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,890 for Truck Drivers in Alaska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $57,200 and the 75th-percentile is $77,200.

Why is the BEA RPP for Alaska different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alaska's overall index of 103.3 reflects rents 96.7, services 113.3, and goods 103.7.

Where does Alaska rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Alaska?

P10 to P90 spans $46,740 to $81,050. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Alaska?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Alaska.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Alaska?

BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Alaska, OTR (over-the-road, multi-week trips) typically pays the highest gross — $65-90K range with experience — but on a real per-hour basis once away-from-home time is counted, regional (home weekly) and local/dedicated (home daily) routes often net comparable take-home. Local LTL and dedicated-fleet routes in Alaska frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).

CDL school cost and payback in Alaska?

CDL Class A schools in Alaska typically run $4,000-$8,000 over 4-8 weeks, often partly or fully reimbursed by carriers in exchange for a 12-month commitment. With first-year company-driver pay around $50-65K in Alaska, payback is usually inside 6 months even at full self-pay. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples) add $500-$2,000 to certification cost and unlock 5-15% wage premiums on appropriate routes.

2026 Truck Driver Salary — Alaska ($65K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

BLS reports Alaska Truck Driver median pay at $64,890. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $62,819.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Bottom quartile $57,200, top quartile $77,200. The P90 ($81,050) is roughly 1.7× the P10 ($46,740).
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #9 of 51; nominal rank is #1.

Wage breakdown — Alaska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,740	$45,248
P25 (lower quartile)	$57,200	$55,374
P50 (median)	$64,890	$62,819
P75 (upper quartile)	$77,200	$74,736
P90 (top tier)	$81,050	$78,463
Mean	$66,890	$64,755
Employment	3,240 Truck Drivers in Alaska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Alaska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.3
Goods	103.7
Services	113.3
Rents	96.7

Alaska's overall RPP (103.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Alaska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Truck Driver)	$64,890	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,649	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,964	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$54,277	83.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,545	÷ (103.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Alaska state-tax burden means for Truck Driver take-home

Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,245 a year for a Truck Driver at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $52,545 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $57,440 for Truck Drivers with mean pay of $58,400 and total employment of 2,070,480. Alaska sits at #1 on nominal pay and #9 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Alaska falls 8 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Truck Driver make in Alaska?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,890 for Truck Drivers in Alaska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $57,200 and the 75th-percentile is $77,200.
Why is the BEA RPP for Alaska different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alaska's overall index of 103.3 reflects rents 96.7, services 113.3, and goods 103.7.
Where does Alaska rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Alaska?: P10 to P90 spans $46,740 to $81,050. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Alaska?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Alaska.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Alaska?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Alaska, OTR (over-the-road, multi-week trips) typically pays the highest gross — $65-90K range with experience — but on a real per-hour basis once away-from-home time is counted, regional (home weekly) and local/dedicated (home daily) routes often net comparable take-home. Local LTL and dedicated-fleet routes in Alaska frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
CDL school cost and payback in Alaska?: CDL Class A schools in Alaska typically run $4,000-$8,000 over 4-8 weeks, often partly or fully reimbursed by carriers in exchange for a 12-month commitment. With first-year company-driver pay around $50-65K in Alaska, payback is usually inside 6 months even at full self-pay. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples) add $500-$2,000 to certification cost and unlock 5-15% wage premiums on appropriate routes.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 53-3032, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Alaska Truck Driver pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.