Truck driver (heavy) · Ames, IA
Truck driver (heavy) in Ames: $1,217/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Ames at $54,510 a year. About 640 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.87). The 10th percentile is $42,430 and the 90th is $69,200. Pay ranks 256th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 6.0× a year of one-bedroom rent ($760/mo). Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $1,217 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Lincoln, about 185 miles away, at $2,454 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$1,217
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$54,510
$42,430 to $69,200
Rent (1 bd)
$760
$905 (2 bd)
Employment
640
Location quotient 0.87
Pay rank
256th of 387
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
6.0×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $54,510.
- Taxes$849
- Rent$760
- Other living costs$1,716
- Left over$1,217
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $54,510
- Federal income tax
- −$4,503
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,170
- State income tax (IA)
- −$1,517
- Take-home pay
- $44,321
- Effective tax rate
- 18.7%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $760
- Groceries
- $347
- Getting around
- $457
- Healthcare
- $391
- Utilities and internet
- $217
- Everything else
- $304
- Total spending
- $2,476
Left over each month
$4,543 gross, minus $849 in tax and $2,476 in living costs.
$1,217
Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Lincoln, $2,454/mo.
Truck driver (heavy) leftover by city →Best cities for truck drivers to move to →Truck driver (heavy) nearby
Other jobs in Ames
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a truck driver (heavy) make in Ames?
$54,510 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 640 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in Ames?
$1,217 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $760, and pay covers 6.0× a year of it.
Where nearby would a truck driver (heavy) keep more?
Lincoln, about 185 miles away, leaves $2,454 a month, more than Ames.