How are Colorado Truck Driver salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How many Truck Drivers does Colorado employ?

BLS OES counts 27,840 Truck Drivers employed in Colorado 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 Colorado rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Colorado 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 Colorado?

P10 to P90 spans $45,730 to $80,150. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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

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.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Colorado?

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

Colorado Truck Driver Salary: BLS $60K Median, Real $59K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Colorado Truck Driver median pay at $60,260. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $59,162.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #21 of 51; nominal rank is #11.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
P25-P75 spread runs $51,380 to $68,270; P10 floor $45,730, P90 ceiling $80,150.

Wage breakdown — Colorado

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,730	$44,897
P25 (lower quartile)	$51,380	$50,444
P50 (median)	$60,260	$59,162
P75 (upper quartile)	$68,270	$67,026
P90 (top tier)	$80,150	$78,690
Mean	$61,750	$60,625
Employment	27,840 Truck Drivers in Colorado

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Colorado index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.9
Goods	99.2
Services	86.8
Rents	130.5

Colorado's overall RPP (101.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Colorado (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)	$60,260	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,093	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,958	4.4% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,610	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$48,598	80.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,713	÷ (101.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $48,598 (80.6% of gross). After the 101.9 RPP, real take-home is $47,713.

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. Colorado sits at #11 on nominal pay and #21 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Colorado falls 10 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Colorado Truck Driver salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How many Truck Drivers does Colorado employ?: BLS OES counts 27,840 Truck Drivers employed in Colorado 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 Colorado rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Colorado 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 Colorado?: P10 to P90 spans $45,730 to $80,150. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Colorado a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: No — Colorado's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
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.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Colorado?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Colorado, 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 Colorado frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).

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 Colorado 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.