How much does a Truck Driver make in Louisiana?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,770 for Truck Drivers in Louisiana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $41,320 and the 75th-percentile is $60,110.

What does the top of the Truck Driver pay scale look like in Louisiana?

The 90th percentile lands at $71,540. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,110.

How many Truck Drivers does Louisiana employ?

BLS OES counts 26,260 Truck Drivers employed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Louisiana 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 Louisiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.7 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,770 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,983. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Truck Drivers comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?

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 Louisiana.

Owner-operator vs company driver in Louisiana — 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.

How Much Do Truck Drivers Make in Louisiana? $49K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$48,770 is the BLS median wage for Truck Drivers in Louisiana; $54,983 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Low BEA RPP (88.7) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $6,213.
Bottom quartile $41,320, top quartile $60,110. The P90 ($71,540) is roughly 2.1× the P10 ($34,600).
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #40 of 51; nominal rank is #50.

Wage breakdown — Louisiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$34,600	$39,008
P25 (lower quartile)	$41,320	$46,584
P50 (median)	$48,770	$54,983
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,110	$67,768
P90 (top tier)	$71,540	$80,654
Mean	$51,310	$57,847
Employment	26,260 Truck Drivers in Louisiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Louisiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.7
Goods	93.0
Services	76.7
Rents	65.1

Louisiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.7), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 65.1.

After-tax take-home — Louisiana (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)	$48,770	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,714	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,088	3.0% flat (2025+ HB 2)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,731	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$40,237	82.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$45,363	÷ (88.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Louisiana's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.2% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.7), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $45,363.

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. Louisiana sits at #50 on nominal pay and #40 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Louisiana climbs 10 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Truck Driver make in Louisiana?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,770 for Truck Drivers in Louisiana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $41,320 and the 75th-percentile is $60,110.
What does the top of the Truck Driver pay scale look like in Louisiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $71,540. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,110.
How many Truck Drivers does Louisiana employ?: BLS OES counts 26,260 Truck Drivers employed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Louisiana 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 Louisiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.7 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,770 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,983. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Truck Drivers comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?: 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 Louisiana.
Owner-operator vs company driver in Louisiana — 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 Louisiana 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.