← Driver Wages: National Trend
Metro Wage Data · May 2025

Delivery Driver Wages in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

7,590 light truck and delivery drivers work in the Cincinnati metro area. The median wage is $21.19/hour 1.8% below the national median of $21.57, ranking #30 of 50 major metros on driver pay.

Median hourly
$21.19
national $21.57
Mean hourly
$22.76
national $23.45
Annualized (median)
$44,075
median × 2,080 hrs
Drivers in metro
7,590
SOC 53-3033

What drivers earn in Cincinnati

The spread matters as much as the median: the 10th-to-90th percentile range is what you compete against when hiring — and what your drivers see when they compare offers.

10th percentile
entry / new drivers
$13.27 · $27,602/yr
25th percentile
$17.65 · $36,712/yr
Median
the market rate
$21.19 · $44,075/yr
75th percentile
$23.34 · $48,547/yr
90th percentile
senior / specialized
$39.83 · $82,846/yr
For Fleet Operators

What a route day actually costs in Cincinnati

Wages aren’t your labor cost. Add payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and benefits (≈27% on top of base pay) and a median-wage driver in Cincinnati runs:

Fully-loaded hourly
$26.91
Per 8.5-hour route day
$229
Per driver, annually
$55,976

Driver pay is typically the largest single line in a last-mile P&L. Run your full cost structure — fuel, payments, maintenance, insurance, and Cincinnati-level wages — through the forecast tool to see where your margin is headed.

Forecast Your Fleet Costs →Plan Fleet Capacity →

Compare driver pay in other metros

Louisville, KY-IN
$22.67/hr median (+7.0% vs Cincinnati)
Indianapolis, IN
$21.72/hr median (+2.5% vs Cincinnati)
Columbus, OH
$21.06/hr median (-0.6% vs Cincinnati)
Cleveland, OH
$20.75/hr median (-2.1% vs Cincinnati)
Detroit, MI
$21.25/hr median (+0.3% vs Cincinnati)
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX
$21.18/hr median (-0.0% vs Cincinnati)
All 50 metros + national trend →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), May 2025Light Truck Drivers (SOC 53-3033), cross-industry estimates for the Cincinnati metro area (CBSA 17140). Retrieved 2026-07-04. This occupation covers drivers of light trucks and delivery vans, including last-mile delivery. Annual figures are hourly × 2,080 hours. Fully-loaded cost assumes ≈27% burden for payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and benefits — Pexara’s standard modeling assumption; your burden varies by state and benefits package.