2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Dallas vs. Houston

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 53-3032
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
40k60k80k DALLAS $59,530 HOUSTON $56,840
Table 1 — Adjusted

Dallas's median is 4.5% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Dallas's median $59,530 buys $57,700 at national prices (price parity 103.1); Houston's $56,840 buys $57,600 (98.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Houston against Dallas.

DallasHoustonΔ
Employment55,67049,750−10.6%
10th percentile$42,810$38,320−10.5%
25th percentile$49,090$46,830−4.6%
Median$59,530$56,840−4.5%
75th percentile$73,020$64,410−11.8%
90th percentile$91,990$79,490−13.6%
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Price parity
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Full pages
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Dallas · Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Houston

Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.