Truck driver (heavy) · New Orleans, LA

Truck driver (heavy) in New Orleans: $497/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in New Orleans at $51,540 a year. About 5,500 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.93). The 10th percentile is $37,960 and the 90th is $73,880. Pay ranks 281st-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,223/mo). Louisiana charges a 3.00% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $497 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Baton Rouge, about 126 miles away, at $806 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$497

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$51,540

$37,960 to $73,880

Rent (1 bd)

$1,223

$1,456 (2 bd)

Employment

5,500

Location quotient 0.93

Pay rank

281st of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.5×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $51,540.

Taxes$772
Rent$1,223
Other living costs$1,803
Left over$497

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $51,540
Federal income tax: −$4,146
Social Security and Medicare: −$3,943
State income tax (LA): −$1,171
Take-home pay: $42,280
Effective tax rate: 18.0%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $1,223
Groceries: $360
Getting around: $498
Healthcare: $405
Utilities and internet: $225
Everything else: $315
Total spending: $3,026

Left over each month

$4,295 gross, minus $772 in tax and $3,026 in living costs.

$497

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Baton Rouge, $806/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 New Orleans?

$51,540 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 5,500 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

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

$497 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Louisiana charges a 3.00% flat income tax Rent is $1,223, and pay covers 3.5× a year of it.

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

Baton Rouge, about 126 miles away, leaves $806 a month, more than New Orleans.