How much does a Truck Driver make in Wisconsin?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $57,380 for Truck Drivers in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,530 and the 75th-percentile is $62,800.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Truck Driver salary in Wisconsin?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $61,553 — what the $57,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $52,060 to $67,368.

Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.

How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?

P10 to P90 spans $40,650 to $74,580. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Wisconsin?

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

Owner-operator vs company driver in Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin?

CDL Class A schools in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 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.

Truck Driver Pay in Wisconsin: $57K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Headline Truck Driver pay in Wisconsin is $57,380. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $61,553.
State ranks #26 nationally on nominal wage, #15 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $4,173.
Quartile range $48,530 (bottom 25%) to $62,800 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $40,650 to $74,580.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$40,650	$43,607
P25 (lower quartile)	$48,530	$52,060
P50 (median)	$57,380	$61,553
P75 (upper quartile)	$62,800	$67,368
P90 (top tier)	$74,580	$80,004
Mean	$56,980	$61,124
Employment	52,980 Truck Drivers in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

After-tax take-home — Wisconsin (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)	$57,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,748	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,953	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,390	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$46,290	80.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,656	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $46,290 (80.7% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $49,656.

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. Wisconsin sits at #26 on nominal pay and #15 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 11 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Truck Driver make in Wisconsin?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $57,380 for Truck Drivers in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,530 and the 75th-percentile is $62,800.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Truck Driver salary in Wisconsin?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $61,553 — what the $57,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $52,060 to $67,368.
Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.
How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?: P10 to P90 spans $40,650 to $74,580. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Wisconsin?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
Owner-operator vs company driver in Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin?: CDL Class A schools in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin 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.