National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Truck Drivers at $54,320/year. Software Engineers earn 59% more nationally. The gap is $77,950 per year — or $6,496 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Truck Driver
$54,320
national median/year
$4,527/mo • $26/hr
Annual salary gap
$77,950
Software Engineers earn 59% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $883,586.
Best states for Truck Drivers
vs Software Engineers
North Dakota+$-28,000
West Virginia+$-32,000
Mississippi+$-34,000
South Dakota+$-34,000
Wyoming+$-36,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Truck Drivers
California+$106,000
Washington+$98,000
Massachusetts+$88,000
New York+$88,000
Colorado+$84,000
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Software Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $54,320 for Truck Drivers — a difference of $77,950 per year or $6,496 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Truck Drivers is $77,950 per year. Software Engineers earn 59% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $883,586.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, Alaska pays Truck Drivers the highest median salary at $62,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Software Engineers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Truck Drivers earn approximately $26 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
