How many Truck Drivers does Arkansas employ?

BLS OES counts 32,290 Truck Drivers employed in Arkansas 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 Arkansas rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas 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.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $49,520 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $57,044. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Truck Drivers comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Truck Driver salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?

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 Arkansas.

Owner-operator vs company driver in Arkansas — 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.

CDL school cost and payback in Arkansas?

CDL Class A schools in Arkansas 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 Arkansas, 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.

Truck Driver Pay in Arkansas: $50K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$49,520 is the BLS median wage for Truck Drivers in Arkansas; $57,044 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Truck Driver ranking: #48 on the BLS table, #32 once cost of living is in.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $7,524 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $32,410 · P25 $39,790 · P75 $68,010 · P90 $84,200.

Wage breakdown — Arkansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$32,410	$37,334
P25 (lower quartile)	$39,790	$45,836
P50 (median)	$49,520	$57,044
P75 (upper quartile)	$68,010	$78,344
P90 (top tier)	$84,200	$96,993
Mean	$56,570	$65,165
Employment	32,290 Truck Drivers in Arkansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arkansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	93.1
Services	81.9
Rents	56.7

Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.

After-tax take-home — Arkansas (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)	$49,520	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,804	7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,432	0–3.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,788	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$40,495	81.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$46,648	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $40,495 (81.8% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $46,648.

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. Arkansas sits at #48 on nominal pay and #32 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 16 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Truck Drivers does Arkansas employ?: BLS OES counts 32,290 Truck Drivers employed in Arkansas 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 Arkansas rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas 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.
Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $49,520 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $57,044. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Truck Drivers comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Truck Driver salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?: 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 Arkansas.
Owner-operator vs company driver in Arkansas — 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.
CDL school cost and payback in Arkansas?: CDL Class A schools in Arkansas 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 Arkansas, 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 Arkansas 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.