The trucking industry is, for lack of a better term, huge. It is estimated that there are 3.6 million truck drivers in the United States, according to the Census Bureau, which would make up over 1% of the country’s population.
That means that each state, on average, has around 72,000 truckers on average. But it’s not all even.
In fact, a very large percentage of truckers in the United States are spread among just three states, with major trucking hubs being in specific locations. Unfortunately, those locations aren’t overwhelmingly surprising.
Around one-third of truck drivers reside in either Texas, California, or Florida
The exact order goes like this:
- Texas
- California
- Florida
Coming in at number four is Pennsylvania, which is the fifth-most populated US state.
That said, these three states are also atop the list of most populated states in the US, so it’s no surprise that they lead the nation in truck drivers. But which state would you see the most truck drivers? In other words, which state has the highest density of truck drivers?
Three entirely different states have a higher density of truck drivers
As unsurprising as the last list was, this one might turn some heads. The highest density of truckers by state goes like this, according to Visual Capitalist:
- Arkansas
- Nebraska
- Wyoming
- Iowa
- North Dakota
So in simpler terms, the Midwest has a very high density of truckers in its lowest-populated states.
The state with the lowest density of truck drivers is New York, which is still among US states with the most truck drivers — this is likely because it is the country’s fourth-most-populated state. NY is closely followed in lowest density by Rhode Island, Connecticut, and, surprisingly, Massachusetts.
Whiteline Express’s primary states are relatively average, with Michigan, Ohio, and Texas all coming between a density of 1.1% to 1.3%.
Which state surprised you the most?