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

Delivery Driver Wages in Raleigh, NC

3,800 light truck and delivery drivers work in the Raleigh metro area. The median wage is $19.16/hour 11.2% below the national median of $21.57, ranking #50 of 50 major metros on driver pay.

Median hourly
$19.16
national $21.57
Mean hourly
$20.31
national $23.45
Annualized (median)
$39,853
median × 2,080 hrs
Drivers in metro
3,800
SOC 53-3033

What drivers earn in Raleigh

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
$13.31 · $27,685/yr
25th percentile
$15.26 · $31,741/yr
Median
the market rate
$19.16 · $39,853/yr
75th percentile
$22.34 · $46,467/yr
90th percentile
senior / specialized
$27.53 · $57,262/yr
For Fleet Operators

What a route day actually costs in Raleigh

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 Raleigh runs:

Fully-loaded hourly
$24.33
Per 8.5-hour route day
$207
Per driver, annually
$50,613

Driver pay is typically the largest single line in a last-mile P&L. Run your full cost structure — fuel, payments, maintenance, insurance, and Raleigh-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

Charlotte, NC-SC
$20.61/hr median (+7.6% vs Raleigh)
Virginia Beach–Norfolk, VA-NC
$20.00/hr median (+4.4% vs Raleigh)
Birmingham, AL
$19.27/hr median (+0.6% vs Raleigh)
Oklahoma City, OK
$19.29/hr median (+0.7% vs Raleigh)
Tampa, FL
$19.47/hr median (+1.6% vs Raleigh)
San Antonio, TX
$20.00/hr median (+4.4% vs Raleigh)
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 Raleigh metro area (CBSA 39580). 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.