How many Truck Drivers does New Jersey employ?

BLS OES counts 49,450 Truck Drivers employed in New Jersey 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 New Jersey rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey 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 New Jersey?

P10 to P90 spans $48,820 to $89,130. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New Jersey?

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 New Jersey.

Owner-operator vs company driver in New Jersey — 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 New Jersey?

CDL Class A schools in New Jersey 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 New Jersey, 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.

New Jersey Truck Driver Salary: BLS $65K Median, Real $59K (2026)

TL;DR

$64,720 is the BLS median wage for Truck Drivers in New Jersey; $59,408 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $58,450 (bottom 25%) to $77,050 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $48,820 to $89,130.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #19 of 51; nominal rank is #2.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$48,820	$44,813
P25 (lower quartile)	$58,450	$53,653
P50 (median)	$64,720	$59,408
P75 (upper quartile)	$77,050	$70,726
P90 (top tier)	$89,130	$81,815
Mean	$67,630	$62,079
Employment	49,450 Truck Drivers in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

After-tax take-home — New Jersey (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)	$64,720	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,628	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,083	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,951	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$52,057	80.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,785	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Jersey 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 $52,057 (80.4% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $47,785.

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. New Jersey sits at #2 on nominal pay and #19 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Jersey falls 17 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Truck Drivers does New Jersey employ?: BLS OES counts 49,450 Truck Drivers employed in New Jersey 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 New Jersey rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey 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 New Jersey?: P10 to P90 spans $48,820 to $89,130. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New Jersey?: 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 New Jersey.
Owner-operator vs company driver in New Jersey — 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 New Jersey?: CDL Class A schools in New Jersey 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 New Jersey, 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 New Jersey 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.