Truck driver (heavy) · Lake Charles, LA

Truck driver (heavy) in Lake Charles: $401/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Lake Charles at $49,960 a year. About 1,340 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.99). The 10th percentile is $37,210 and the 90th is $67,780. Pay ranks 317th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.6× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,149/mo). Louisiana charges a 3.00% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $401 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Beaumont, about 61 miles away, at $1,012 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$401

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$49,960

$37,210 to $67,780

Rent (1 bd)

$1,149

$1,368 (2 bd)

Employment

1,340

Location quotient 0.99

Pay rank

317th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.6×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $49,960.

Taxes$742
Rent$1,149
Other living costs$1,871
Left over$401

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $49,960
Federal income tax: −$3,957
Social Security and Medicare: −$3,822
State income tax (LA): −$1,124
Take-home pay: $41,058
Effective tax rate: 17.8%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $1,149
Groceries: $360
Getting around: $566
Healthcare: $405
Utilities and internet: $225
Everything else: $315
Total spending: $3,020

Left over each month

$4,163 gross, minus $742 in tax and $3,020 in living costs.

$401

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Beaumont, $1,012/mo.

Truck driver (heavy) leftover by city →Best cities for truck drivers to move to →

Truck driver (heavy) nearby

Questions

What does a truck driver (heavy) make in Lake Charles?

$49,960 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,340 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in Lake Charles?

$401 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Louisiana charges a 3.00% flat income tax Rent is $1,149, and pay covers 3.6× a year of it.

Where nearby would a truck driver (heavy) keep more?

Beaumont, about 61 miles away, leaves $1,012 a month, more than Lake Charles.