Where does Oregon rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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 Oregon?

P10 to P90 spans $47,620 to $82,680. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?

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 Oregon.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Oregon?

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

Owner-operator vs company driver in Oregon — 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 Oregon (2026): $61K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

$61,180 is the BLS median wage for Truck Drivers in Oregon; $58,371 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
P25-P75 spread runs $52,520 to $71,830; P10 floor $47,620, P90 ceiling $82,680.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Nominal: #5/51 · Real: #28/51 — ranking shifts by 23 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Oregon

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,620	$45,434
P25 (lower quartile)	$52,520	$50,109
P50 (median)	$61,180	$58,371
P75 (upper quartile)	$71,830	$68,532
P90 (top tier)	$82,680	$78,884
Mean	$63,890	$60,957
Employment	24,720 Truck Drivers in Oregon

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Oregon index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.8
Goods	104.8
Services	91.0
Rents	109.2

Oregon's overall RPP (104.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Oregon (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)	$61,180	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,204	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,812	4.75–9.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,680	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$46,484	76.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$44,350	÷ (104.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Oregon carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (7.9% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 24.0%, leaving $46,484 pre-RPP and $44,350 after the 104.8 cost-of-living index — a $16,830 gap from the headline gross.

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. Oregon sits at #5 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Oregon falls 23 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Oregon rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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 Oregon?: P10 to P90 spans $47,620 to $82,680. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Oregon a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: No — Oregon's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?: 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 Oregon.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Oregon?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Oregon, 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 Oregon frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
Owner-operator vs company driver in Oregon — 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 Oregon 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.