Top 10 States for Truck Driving Work

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If you are a truck driver, where you live makes a big impact on your earnings and the number of trucking jobs available to you.

In order to figure out the best states for truckers looking for work, FreightRun conducted a study using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which analyzed how many trucking jobs are out there, how in-demand truckers are, and what kind of pay someone in the trucking industry can expect.

The research took into account three important factors:

• Job availability: The researchers checked how many trucking jobs are available for every 1,000 jobs in each state.
• Industry demand: Using the Location Quotient (LQ), the researchers measured how concentrated trucking jobs are compared to other states. A higher LQ means trucking is more important to that state’s economy.
• Annual mean wage: They considered how much truck drivers earn on average in each state, with higher wages making a state more appealing.

Each factor was scored, weighted and combined to give an overall score out of 100. The states with the highest scores are the ones that offer the best mix of job opportunities, demand, and wages for truck drivers.

Here are the top 10 states for truck driving work:

10. Texas

• Final score: 60.32
• Average annual pay: $54,550

The Lone Star State is massive, which is why it has the highest number of truck drivers in the country, totaling over 212,000. All of them are busy thanks to oil and agriculture employing their services.

9. Tennessee

• Final score: 61.24
• Average annual pay: $55,420

Over 61,000 truckers are based out of Tennessee when they are not on the road. The centrally-located state is part of a major route for manufacturing and distribution nationwide.

8. Wisconsin

• Final score: 61.76
• Average annual pay: $55,970

From dairy to manufacturing, there is always a need for truckers in the Midwest. The opportunities offered in Wisconsin, not to mention the solid pay, is why 55,000 truck drivers live and work there.

7. Indiana

• Final score: 61.87
• Average annual pay: $57,710

Often called “Crossroads of America,” Indiana lives up to that name with plenty of trucking jobs — nearly 57,000 truck drivers, in fact — as a key part of the state’s major transportation hub. 

6. Mississippi

• Final score: 62.83
• Average annual pay: $52,760

There is a huge demand in Mississippi for truck drivers to work in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, which is why it is home to over 25,000 truckers.

5. Iowa

• Final score: 65.06
• Average annual pay: $53,470

Corn and soybeans keep truckers in business, as well as busy in Iowa, hauling these products from the Midwest all over the country.

4. Arkansas

• Final score: 67.06
• Average annual pay: $51,530

Being centrally located in the nation means that Arkansas is a transportation hub, offering those in the trucking industry plenty of jobs.

3. Wyoming

• Final score: 76.92
• Average annual pay: $60,030

The state with the highest wage also provides job stability. Truckers in Wyoming know they’ll be employed by the strong demand from mining and energy companies in their region of the country.

2. Nebraska

• Final score: 77.95
• Average annual pay: $58,680

Twent-five thousand truck drivers are employed in Nebraska, which always needs someone to haul grain, livestock and other components of the state’s agricultural economy. 

1. North Dakota

• Final score: 82.77
• Average annual pay: $58,680

North Dakota always needs truckers due to the oil and agriculture. Jobs are in ample supply and wages are one of the highest for truck drivers in the United States.

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