Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Salary
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $45,990 a year, or about $22.11 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $46,629 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 47.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $46K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About industrial truck and tractor operators
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Industrial truck and tractor operators pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $46K locally vs. $46K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 48.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for industrial truck and tractor operators in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $47K | $46K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $45K | $48K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $46K | $47K |
| El Paso | $39K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level industrial truck and tractor operators (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $24K spread from bottom to top.
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84K | +80% | N/A |
| New Mexico | $62K | +34% | 2,620 |
| Delaware | $60K | +30% | 5,230 |
| Wyoming | $60K | +29% | 790 |
| New Hampshire | $54K | +17% | 1,450 |
| Alaska | $54K | +17% | 410 |
| Hawaii | $54K | +16% | 880 |
| Oregon | $51K | +9% | 8,560 |
| Colorado | $51K | +9% | 8,570 |
| Washington | $50K | +8% | 18,750 |
| Minnesota | $50K | +7% | 7,110 |
| North Dakota | $49K | +6% | 930 |
| Utah | $49K | +6% | 6,830 |
| New York | $49K | +6% | 18,420 |
| Louisiana | $49K | +5% | 7,680 |
| Florida | $48K | +4% | 38,400 |
| Arizona | $48K | +4% | 12,340 |
| Montana | $48K | +4% | 910 |
| California | $48K | +3% | 89,620 |
| Maine | $48K | +3% | 2,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | +3% | 42,110 |
| Wisconsin | $48K | +3% | 12,150 |
| Illinois | $48K | +3% | 29,450 |
| Iowa | $48K | +3% | 7,770 |
| Kansas | $47K | +2% | 7,700 |
| South Dakota | $47K | +2% | 1,940 |
| Vermont | $47K | +2% | 950 |
| Connecticut | $47K | +2% | 3,780 |
| Virginia | $47K | +1% | 19,320 |
| Massachusetts | $47K | +1% | 8,390 |
| Nebraska | $47K | +1% | 5,020 |
| Kentucky | $47K | +0% | 11,270 |
| Idaho | $47K | +0% | 2,560 |
| Ohio | $46K | +0% | 42,360 |
| New Jersey | $46K | -1% | 21,790 |
| Indiana | $46K | -2% | 23,090 |
| Maryland | $46K | -2% | 13,740 |
| Texas | $45K | -2% | 88,780 |
| Nevada | $45K | -3% | 7,300 |
| Michigan | $45K | -3% | 23,470 |
| Missouri | $45K | -3% | 11,470 |
| Rhode Island | $45K | -3% | 780 |
| Alabama | $45K | -3% | 15,360 |
| Oklahoma | $45K | -4% | 7,850 |
| Arkansas | $44K | -6% | 10,850 |
| South Carolina | $44K | -6% | 14,210 |
| Mississippi | $43K | -6% | 9,640 |
| North Carolina | $43K | -6% | 26,830 |
| Georgia | $43K | -7% | 50,260 |
| Tennessee | $42K | -9% | 20,070 |
| West Virginia | $42K | -10% | 1,400 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track industrial truck and tractor operators salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a industrial truck and tractor operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 48.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for industrial truck and tractor operators in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new industrial truck and tractor operators typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,087/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 75% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is industrial truck and tractor operator a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $46K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for industrial truck and tractor operators?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do industrial truck and tractor operators make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $45,990 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,780, and experienced industrial truck and tractor operators can clear $58,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,249/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 48.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a industrial truck and tractor operators salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median industrial truck and tractor operators salary is worth about $46,629 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do industrial truck and tractor operators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.