Utility Pages
Salary Comparison

Data Analyst vs Truck Driver Salary

Data Analysts earn approximately 35.7% more than Truck Drivers nationally — $84,000 vs $54,000.

Data Analyst
$84,000
national median annual
Hourly (40 hr × 52 wk)
$40
Biweekly (26 paychecks)
$3,231
Monthly
$7,000
Category
Tech
Truck Driver
$54,000
national median annual
Hourly (40 hr × 52 wk)
$26
Biweekly (26 paychecks)
$2,077
Monthly
$4,500
Category
Transportation
Difference
Annual difference
Truck Driver earn less than Data Analyst
-$30,000
Percentage difference
−35.7%
Hourly difference
-$14/hour
Monthly difference
-$2,500/month
Lifetime difference (40-yr career)
Naive — doesn't include compounding raises
-$1,200,000
Salary by state
→ Data Analyst salary by state→ Truck Driver salary by state

Data Analysts earn more today, but the more useful difference is direction: Data Analyst employment is growing much faster than average while Truck Driver is growing about as fast as average.

What it takes to get in

Data Analyst roles typically require a bachelor's degree, while Truck Driver roles require a postsecondary certificate. From standing start to hireable, including training hours and licensing, the totals are roughly 3 years for Data Analyst and 1 for Truck Driver.

Only one of the two is gated by licensing: Truck Driver requires Commercial Driver's License (CDL Class A) required, while Data Analyst does not. That cuts both ways — a license is a real barrier when you are trying to enter, and a real moat once you hold one, because it limits how quickly the labor supply can grow.

Pay range, not just the median

The medians hide most of what matters. Data Analyst pay runs from roughly $50,000 at the low end to $155,000 at the high end; Truck Driver runs $38,640 to $78,800. Position within the range is driven by what you specialize in and who you work for, not by the title on the offer.

The two bands are shaped differently. Data Analyst top earners make about 3.1× what beginners make, against 2.0× for Truck Driver. A wide band means the ceiling rewards specializing and the median understates what is achievable; a narrow one means pay is more predictable and less dependent on landing the right niche.

Where each field is heading

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects Data Analyst employment to grow 23% over the decade to 2034 — growing much faster than average — against growth of 4% for Truck Driver.

Growth rate is not the same thing as opportunity. Data Analyst roles see roughly 19,800 openings a year and Truck Driver roles about 237,600, counting replacements for people who retire or leave. Truck Driver has the larger raw number, which is usually what you feel when actually job hunting — a small field growing fast can still be harder to break into than a large flat one.

What the work is actually like

Data Analyst: Office or remote, building reports/dashboards from company data. Truck Driver: Long-haul cab, on the road for days at a time; regional/local routes vary.

The physical difference is large enough to affect how long you can do the work: Truck Driver work is moderately physical, Data Analyst work largely sedentary. Physically demanding trades often pay well in your twenties and thirties and then force a move into supervision, inspection, estimating, or training — worth planning for rather than discovering at fifty.

The calendars are not alike either: Data Analyst runs on standard weekday hours, Truck Driver on irregular hours that vary week to week. Worth weighing as heavily as the pay gap, because it is the part you live with daily.

Location flexibility is not symmetric here. Data Analyst work is typically hybrid, while Truck Driver work has to be done on site. That changes which metros you can earn a high salary from, and therefore what a given salary is actually worth after housing.

Moving between the two

There is little skill overlap here — Tech and Transportation train differently and recruit through different channels — so a move between them is closer to starting over than pivoting. Common entry point for career-switchers from finance, operations, or marketing because SQL and Excel are learnable in a few months and many roles don't require a CS background. One of the fastest career switches available; many carriers offer paid CDL training in exchange for a work commitment, so entry cost can be near zero.

If you are entering rather than switching: Data Analyst — Bachelor's in any quantitative-adjacent field (business, econ, stats) plus a portfolio of dashboards/SQL projects; the 2021 SOC revision folds data analysts into the same Data Scientists code as more advanced ML roles, so BLS wage/openings figures here are shared with data scientists and likely overstate the analyst-only entry pay. Truck Driver — Complete a 4-10 week CDL training program, pass the CDL skills/knowledge tests, then drive under a trainer for a company's onboarding period.

Pay ranges, education requirements, and employment projections come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. See our methodology for how these are compiled and updated.

Other comparisons in Tech

Data Analyst vs Software Engineer
National median: $124,000
Data Analyst vs Web Developer
National median: $80,000
Data Analyst vs Product Manager
National median: $135,000
Data Analyst vs Database Administrator
National median: $100,000

Other comparisons in Transportation

Truck Driver vs Pilot
National median: $134,000

Related tools

Data Analyst salary by state — Truck Driver salary by state — Best cities for Data Analyst — Best cities for Truck Driver — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who earns more, a Data Analyst or a Truck Driver?▾
Data Analysts earn more at the median — approximately $84,000 a year against $54,000, a gap of $30,000 or 56%. The ranges overlap though: Data Analyst pay starts around $50,000 and Truck Driver pay reaches about $78,800 at the top, so an experienced Truck Driver can out-earn a new Data Analyst.
How much longer does it take to become a Data Analyst?▾
About 2 years longer. Data Analyst takes roughly 3 years from zero to employable — a bachelor's degree — against about 1 years for Truck Driver. The tuition is visible; the forgone salary during those years usually is not, and it is the larger number.
Which has the better job outlook, Data Analyst or Truck Driver?▾
Data Analyst, by the BLS projections: +23% employment change through 2034 versus +4% for Truck Driver. Openings matter as much as growth rate — Data Analyst averages about 19,800 openings a year and Truck Driver about 237,600, including replacement of workers who leave the field.
Do you need a license to work as a Truck Driver?▾
Yes — Commercial Driver's License (CDL Class A) required. Data Analyst has no equivalent requirement. Licensing slows entry but also limits how fast the labor supply can expand, which tends to support pay over time. Requirements are set state by state, so check reciprocity before assuming a license travels with you.
Can you work remotely as a Data Analyst or a Truck Driver?▾
Data Analyst work is typically hybrid; Truck Driver work has to be done on site. This matters beyond convenience — remote-capable roles let you earn a high-cost-metro salary while paying low-cost-metro housing, which can be worth more than a raise.
Is Truck Driver physically demanding?▾
Yes — the work is moderately physical, against largely sedentary for Data Analyst. Plan the second half of the career deliberately: most people in physically demanding fields move toward supervision, inspection, estimating, or teaching rather than doing the same work at sixty.
Do these numbers hold in my city?▾
Nationally sourced, so treat them as a baseline rather than a local answer. Regional cost-of-living and industry concentration move both careers, but rarely by the same amount, which means the 56% gap above is a national figure and not necessarily yours.