Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, tank car, truck, and ship loaders earn $50,160 at the median, or about $24.11 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $68K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.84), that's roughly $52,337 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,343/month, about 41% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Buffalo-Cheektowaga’s Regional Price Parity (95.84). 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.
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What this looks like in Buffalo-Cheektowaga
Pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Buffalo-Cheektowaga runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,343/month, which is 40.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.84) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tank car, truck, and ship loaderss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in metros near Buffalo-Cheektowaga, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $65K | $58K |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | $77K | $72K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Entry-level tank car, truck, and ship loaders (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $68K or more, a $29K spread from bottom to top.
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $81K | +38% | 110 |
| South Carolina | $81K | +37% | 90 |
| Montana | $80K | +36% | 80 |
| Minnesota | $77K | +30% | N/A |
| Alabama | $75K | +28% | 240 |
| Oregon | $74K | +26% | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $72K | +22% | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $70K | +19% | 40 |
| California | $69K | +17% | 110 |
| New Jersey | $65K | +10% | 120 |
| North Dakota | $61K | +4% | 310 |
| Texas | $61K | +4% | 1,620 |
| Louisiana | $59K | +0% | 500 |
| Michigan | $58K | -2% | 200 |
| Missouri | $58K | -2% | 180 |
| Ohio | $58K | -2% | 820 |
| Wisconsin | $57K | -3% | 170 |
| West Virginia | $55K | -7% | 90 |
| Utah | $53K | -9% | N/A |
| Kentucky | $53K | -10% | 130 |
| Iowa | $51K | -13% | 180 |
| Colorado | $51K | -13% | 80 |
| Georgia | $51K | -13% | 50 |
| New York | $48K | -18% | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -18% | 90 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -18% | 80 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -21% | N/A |
| Florida | $46K | -23% | 430 |
| Hawaii | $45K | -23% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $45K | -24% | 240 |
| Indiana | $44K | -25% | 250 |
| Idaho | $42K | -29% | 80 |
| Virginia | $41K | -30% | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | -40% | 170 |
| Arkansas | $34K | -43% | 150 |
Showing 1–10 of 35 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Buffalo-Cheektowaga numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tank car, truck, and ship loader afford a 2BR apartment alone in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 40.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,343/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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tank car, truck, and ship loaders typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,323/month. At HUD’s $1,343/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tank car, truck, and ship loader a high-paying job in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $50K here vs. $59K nationally.
How does Buffalo-Cheektowaga compare to the national average for tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.84), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — below the national median.
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?
The median is $50,160 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,720, and experienced tank car, truck, and ship loaders can clear $67,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,349/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,343/month, which eats 40.1% 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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary go in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga has a Regional Price Parity of 95.84 (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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary is worth about $52,337 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tank car, truck, and ship loaders 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.