How much does a Truck Driver make in Vermont?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $56,360 for Truck Drivers in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $49,650 and the 75th-percentile is $62,800.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $70,770. 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 $62,800.

Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.

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.

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.

Owner-operator vs company driver in Vermont — 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 Vermont?

CDL Class A schools in Vermont 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 Vermont, 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.

2026 Truck Driver Salary — Vermont ($56K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

Vermont pays Truck Drivers a BLS median of $56,360 — the more useful number is $58,018, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
P25-P75 spread runs $49,650 to $62,800; P10 floor $46,070, P90 ceiling $70,770.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #29 of 51; nominal rank is #31.

Wage breakdown — Vermont

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,070	$47,425
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,650	$51,111
P50 (median)	$56,360	$58,018
P75 (upper quartile)	$62,800	$64,648
P90 (top tier)	$70,770	$72,852
Mean	$57,050	$58,728
Employment	3,370 Truck Drivers in Vermont

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Vermont index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.1
Goods	97.9
Services	122.1
Rents	82.3

Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Vermont (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)	$56,360	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,625	8.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,675	3.35–8.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,312	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$45,749	81.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,095	÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $45,749 (81.2% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $47,095.

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. Vermont sits at #31 on nominal pay and #29 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Truck Driver make in Vermont?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $56,360 for Truck Drivers in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $49,650 and the 75th-percentile is $62,800.
What does the top of the Truck Driver pay scale look like in Vermont?: The 90th percentile lands at $70,770. 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 $62,800.
Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.
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.
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.
Owner-operator vs company driver in Vermont — 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 Vermont?: CDL Class A schools in Vermont 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 Vermont, 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 Vermont 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.