Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$51,500
National baseline
Target bonus
$4,500
8.6% of base
Total target cash
$56,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$2,50050th$4,50075th$7,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical experience: varies by employer. Entry-level roles usually require little or no prior experience; senior roles typically require 5 or more years in the occupation. See the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for the specific entry path.
Collect fares or vouchers from passengers, and make change or issue receipts as necessary.
Communicate with dispatchers by radio, telephone, or computer to exchange information and receive requests for passenger service.
Complete accident reports when necessary.
Determine fares based on trip distances and times, using taximeters and fee schedules, and announce fares to passengers.
Drive taxicabs or privately owned vehicles to transport passengers.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Taxi Driver pay by experience level
Entry level$36,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$39,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$43,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$63,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$78,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+11.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
22,600
projected openings per year
Growing faster than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Taxi Driver salary by industry
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
40,880 workers
$52,000
Taxi and Limousine Service
40,610 workers
$52,000
Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
260 workers
$40,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
40 workers
$31,000
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
40 workers
$31,000
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
30 workers
$31,500
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
30 workers
$31,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 575,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
13.9%
White
46.4%
Black or African American
25.6%
Asian
22%
Hispanic or Latino
28.1%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2021 to 2025: $29,310 to $42,100.
+43.6% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$36,000
Early career25th percentile
$39,000
Median50th percentile
$43,500
Experienced75th percentile
$63,000
Top earners90th percentile
$78,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Collect fares or vouchers from passengers, and make change or issue receipts as necessary.
Communicate with dispatchers by radio, telephone, or computer to exchange information and receive requests for passenger service.
Complete accident reports when necessary.
Determine fares based on trip distances and times, using taximeters and fee schedules, and announce fares to passengers.
Drive taxicabs or privately owned vehicles to transport passengers.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$51,500
2027$53,500
2028$55,000
2029$57,000
2030$59,000
2031$61,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Taxi Driver in the United States is about $51,500 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Taxi Driver?
Most Taxi Driver pay falls between about $39,000 (25th percentile) and $63,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $78,500.
What does a Taxi Driver do?
Core responsibilities include: collect fares or vouchers from passengers, and make change or issue receipts as necessary; and communicate with dispatchers by radio, telephone, or computer to exchange information and receive requests for passenger service.
Is pay for Taxi Driver roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $29,310 in 2021 to $42,100 in 2025, a change of +43.6% in nominal dollars.
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