Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 District of Columbia tax rules.
The figures
The median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earns $59,820 a year ($28.76 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn between $50,320 and $71,490 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $44,870 or less and the top 10 percent earn $82,540 or more. BLS estimates 20,430 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area — 6.516 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.49 (well below the national concentration). That is 1.0% of all Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers employment in the United States (2,062,040 jobs nationally). By employment, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. In aggregate, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn about $1.27 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $49,585.84 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is about $1.01 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #11 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. By employment, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is the #24 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Placed against the national distribution for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $59,820 falls between the national median ($58,640) and the national 75th percentile ($69,120). Across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median is $71,060 a year — Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay is 15.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $29.97 | $62,330 |
| 10th percentile | $21.57 | $44,870 |
| 25th percentile | $24.19 | $50,320 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $28.76 | $59,820 |
| 75th percentile | $34.37 | $71,490 |
| 90th percentile | $39.68 | $82,540 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn 1.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($82,540 against $44,870). The middle half spans $21,170 — from $50,320 to $71,490. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($39.68) is 1.84 times the 10th ($21.57). In the upper half of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $71,490 takes home $55,851.26 and the 90th percentile wage of $82,540 takes home $62,755.82 — $6,904.56 more net for $11,050 more gross. Against the median take-home of $47,731.82, the top decile keeps 1.31 times as much. The mean wage of $62,330 sits 4.2% above the median: higher-paid Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pull the average up in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Among the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ranks #10 by median pay. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage ladder of covered occupations, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers sits between Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products at $74,730 and Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $59,290. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. The average covered metro employs 29,037 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV employs 0.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in District of Columbia
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in District of Columbia; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $59,820.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,998.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,708.84 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $867.39 |
| District of Columbia income tax | $2,513.30 |
| Total deductions | $12,088.18 |
| Net pay (annual) | $47,731.82 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,835.84 |
| Total deduction rate | 20.21% of gross |
At the median, $47,731.82 of the $59,820 gross is kept ($1,835.84 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 20.21%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.34% at the 10th percentile, 19.13% at the 25th percentile, 21.88% at the 75th percentile, 23.97% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,158.28 on a gross rise of $21,170.
The same engine at the other published points of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($44,870) | $36,640.74 | $1,409.26 | 18.34% |
| 25th percentile ($50,320) | $40,692.98 | $1,565.11 | 19.13% |
| Median ($59,820) | $47,731.82 | $1,835.84 | 20.21% |
| 75th percentile ($71,490) | $55,851.26 | $2,148.13 | 21.88% |
| 90th percentile ($82,540) | $62,755.82 | $2,413.69 | 23.97% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $36,640.74 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,755.82 at the 90th — a spread of $26,115.08 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median wage of $71,060 takes home $55,576.74 a year ($2,137.57 per paycheck, deduction rate 21.79%). The Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers median take-home of $47,731.82 sits $7,844.92 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV also covers parts of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia. The take-home estimate above uses District of Columbia rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia paycheck calculators.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earns $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $59,820 is $1,180 (2.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $62,330 a year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV against $59,710 nationally, a gap of $2,620 (4.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 90th percentile of $82,540 is 47% of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV all-occupations 90th percentile ($174,600), and its 10th percentile of $44,870 is 124% of the area-wide 10th ($36,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $59,820 | $28.76 | $62,330 |
| United States | $58,640 | $28.19 | $59,710 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$59,820 a year ($28.76 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $62,330 a year. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #11 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $59,820 in District of Columbia?
About $47,731.82 a year ($1,835.84 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 20.21% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $71,490, take-home is $55,851.26.
How does pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compare with the national median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $59,820 is $1,180 (2.0%) above the national median of $58,640 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $82,540, against a national 90th percentile of $79,380.
How much do the top 10% of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$82,540 a year or more ($39.68 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
On $82,540 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $62,755.82 a year ($2,413.69 per biweekly paycheck) in District of Columbia under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 23.97%.
How many Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs are there in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
BLS estimates 20,430 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — 6.516 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
The location quotient is 0.49 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
From $36,640.74 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($44,870) to $62,755.82 at the 90th ($82,540), under the same single-filer assumptions in District of Columbia.
What is the total wage bill for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
About $1.27 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,430 multiplied by the mean wage of $62,330.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.