What is the real (cost-adjusted) Truck Driver salary in Arizona?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 100.7 for Arizona), the real-wage equivalent is $53,295 — what the $53,690 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $44,927 to $61,881.

How many Truck Drivers does Arizona employ?

BLS OES counts 42,270 Truck Drivers employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Arizona rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona 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 Arizona?

P10 to P90 spans $38,760 to $74,970. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Arizona a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?

No — Arizona's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Arizona?

BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Arizona, 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 Arizona frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).

Owner-operator vs company driver in Arizona — which actually nets more?

Gross revenue for an owner-operator in {state} can run $200K-$300K, but after truck payment, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and self-employment tax, net take-home typically lands $70-110K — modestly above company-driver pay but with substantially more risk and capital exposure. The owner-operator advantage is biggest for drivers with paid-off trucks or specialty routes (oversize, hazmat, refrigerated). Company-driver pay is the floor; owner-operator is volatile.

Truck Driver Salary in Arizona (2026): $54K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Headline Truck Driver pay in Arizona is $53,690. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $53,295.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $38,760 · P25 $45,260 · P75 $62,340 · P90 $74,970.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #47 of 51; nominal rank is #37.

Wage breakdown — Arizona

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,760	$38,475
P25 (lower quartile)	$45,260	$44,927
P50 (median)	$53,690	$53,295
P75 (upper quartile)	$62,340	$61,881
P90 (top tier)	$74,970	$74,418
Mean	$55,420	$55,012
Employment	42,270 Truck Drivers in Arizona

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arizona index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	100.7
Goods	97.9
Services	83.3
Rents	108.6

Arizona's overall RPP (100.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Arizona (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)	$53,690	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,305	8.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$949	2.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,107	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$44,329	82.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$44,003	÷ (100.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Arizona's state tax is light at this income tier (~1.8% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the cost-of-living premium (RPP 100.7), which still erodes real take-home despite the low state tax — net real after-tax $44,003.

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. Arizona sits at #37 on nominal pay and #47 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arizona falls 10 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Truck Driver salary in Arizona?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 100.7 for Arizona), the real-wage equivalent is $53,295 — what the $53,690 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $44,927 to $61,881.
How many Truck Drivers does Arizona employ?: BLS OES counts 42,270 Truck Drivers employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Arizona rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona 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 Arizona?: P10 to P90 spans $38,760 to $74,970. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Arizona a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: No — Arizona's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Arizona?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Arizona, 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 Arizona frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
Owner-operator vs company driver in Arizona — which actually nets more?: Gross revenue for an owner-operator in {state} can run $200K-$300K, but after truck payment, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and self-employment tax, net take-home typically lands $70-110K — modestly above company-driver pay but with substantially more risk and capital exposure. The owner-operator advantage is biggest for drivers with paid-off trucks or specialty routes (oversize, hazmat, refrigerated). Company-driver pay is the floor; owner-operator is volatile.

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 Arizona 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.