Skilled Wages

Heavy equipment operator salary in California

Median $41.90 an hour for 36,020 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$41.90/hrMedian hourly wageCalifornia, May data
$87,160/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$25.37 – $63.5610th to 90th percentilehourly range
36,020Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Heavy equipment operator pay in California: the full range

Wage percentiles, CaliforniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60$80/hrCalifornia: 10th $25.37 · 25th $31.36 · median $41.90 · 75th $60.37 · 90th $63.56California$41.90$25.37$63.56United States: 10th $20.28 · 25th $23.40 · median $28.78 · 75th $37.10 · 90th $48.60United States$28.78
Hourly wage percentiles for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators: California vs United States, May 2025.

California ranks 4th of 51 states for median heavy equipment operator pay, and 7th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $37.85). 36,020 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$25.37 – $31.36$52,760 – $65,230roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$31.36 – $60.37$65,230 – $125,560the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$60.37 – $63.56$125,560 – $132,210the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Heavy equipment operator pay by metro in California

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60$80/hrSan Francisco: $59.97San Francisco$59.97San Jose: $59.78San Jose$59.78Santa Rosa: $50.52Santa Rosa$50.52Vallejo: $45.72Vallejo$45.72Los Angeles: $44.66Los Angeles$44.66Sacramento: $44.06Sacramento$44.06Modesto: $43.54Modesto$43.54Napa: $43.30Napa$43.30San Diego: $40.23San Diego$40.23Oxnard: $40.05Oxnard$40.05Santa Maria: $39.18Santa Maria$39.18Yuba City: $38.76Yuba City$38.76
Median hourly wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators by metro area in California, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
San Francisco$29.29$59.97$71.764,08043% above
San Jose$29.17$59.78$73.441,36043% above
Santa Rosa$27.36$50.52$69.3671021% above
Vallejo$28.79$45.72$65.186309% above
Los Angeles$25.22$44.66$62.858,7807% above
Sacramento$27.84$44.06$63.102,9205% above
Modesto$25.01$43.54$63.394304% above
Napa$22.96$43.30$66.901603% above
San Diego$26.21$40.23$65.423,1304% below
Oxnard$25.84$40.05$63.407804% below
Santa Maria$25.27$39.18$63.014006% below
Yuba City$26.99$38.76$65.542307% below
Salinas$28.71$38.62$63.433408% below
San Luis Obispo$26.08$38.14$62.595309% below
Chico$25.00$38.00$63.862309% below
Riverside$23.39$37.85$61.464,74010% below
Fresno$24.07$37.65$61.131,29010% below
Bakersfield$25.29$37.48$60.661,00011% below
Stockton$23.79$37.22$62.0076011% below
Redding$27.35$37.06$59.4134012% below
Santa Cruz$26.51$36.36$65.8413013% below
Merced$24.97$35.96$60.9516014% below
El Centro$22.58$34.05$58.9124019% below
Hanford$19.70$30.31$60.9510028% below
Visalia$22.80$29.10$56.2126031% below

Heavy equipment operator wages in California over time

California, 1999-2025CaliforniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$41.90California$28.78United States
Median hourly wage for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, California vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearCalifornia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$23.55$45.51$15.3128,620
2000$25.35$47.39$15.9926,320
2001$25.51$46.37$16.4228,010
2002$26.60$47.60$16.9429,000
2003$26.27$45.96$16.8427,400
2004$26.17$44.60$17.0029,960
2005$27.28$44.97$17.2329,380
2006$27.72$44.27$17.7431,600
2007$29.01$45.04$18.3330,770
2008$30.29$45.29$18.8828,770
2009$30.63$45.96$19.1224,730
2010$30.99$45.75$19.4221,610
2011$31.37$44.90$19.9620,890
2012$31.74$44.51$20.1321,890
2013$32.01$44.24$20.4521,910
2014$31.60$42.97$20.9221,310
2015$30.64$41.62$21.4424,980
2016$32.03$42.96$22.0625,590
2017$32.84$43.13$22.6126,040
2018$34.19$43.83$22.9828,110
2019$35.88$45.18$23.5528,450
2020$37.38$46.50$23.9327,430
2021$36.72$43.63$23.2528,600
2022$38.12$41.93$24.7331,940
2023$39.59$41.83$27.0032,690
2024$42.85$43.98$28.2336,040
2025$41.90$41.90$28.7836,020

In today's dollars, the median heavy equipment operator wage in California changed by +0.7% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for heavy equipment operators in California

On federally funded construction in California, contractors must pay heavy equipment operators at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 52 of the 58 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $84.41 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $33.87). 6 of the 58 counties still use a survey rate dated 1985 or earlier (for example Amador County at $25.36). The market median for the state is $41.90.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, CAAlameda: $74.87 (union)Alpine: $84.41 (union)Amador: $25.36 (survey)Butte: $84.41 (union)Calaveras: $74.87 (union)Colusa: $84.41 (union)Contra Costa: $74.87 (union)Del Norte: $33.87 (survey)El Dorado: $84.41 (union)Fresno: $74.87 (union)Glenn: $84.41 (union)Humboldt: $33.87 (survey)Imperial: $98.45 (union)Inyo: $98.45 (union)Kern: $98.45 (union)Kings: $74.87 (union)Lake: $33.87 (survey)Lassen: $84.41 (union)Los Angeles: $98.45 (union)Madera: $74.87 (union)Marin: $84.41 (union)Mariposa: $74.87 (union)Mendocino: $33.87 (survey)Merced: $74.87 (union)Modoc: $84.41 (union)Mono: $98.45 (union)Monterey: $74.87 (union)Napa: $84.41 (union)Nevada: $84.41 (union)Orange: $98.45 (union)Placer: $84.41 (union)Plumas: $84.41 (union)Riverside: $98.45 (union)Sacramento: $84.41 (union)San Benito: $74.87 (union)San Bernardino: $98.45 (union)San Diego: $98.45 (union)San Francisco: $74.87 (union)San Joaquin: $74.87 (union)San Luis Obispo: $98.45 (union)San Mateo: $74.87 (union)Santa Barbara: $98.45 (union)Santa Clara: $74.87 (union)Santa Cruz: $74.87 (union)Shasta: $84.41 (union)Sierra: $84.41 (union)Siskiyou: $84.41 (union)Solano: $84.41 (union)Sonoma: $84.41 (union)Stanislaus: $74.87 (union)Sutter: $84.41 (union)Tehama: $84.41 (union)Trinity: $84.41 (union)Tulare: $10.27 (survey)Tuolumne: $74.87 (union)Ventura: $98.45 (union)Yolo: $84.41 (union)Yuba: $84.41 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$74.87$82.50$84.41$92.83survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for heavy equipment operators by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$40$60$80$100$120/hrImperial (El Centro): market median $34.05, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$64.40Imperial (El Centro)+$64.40Kern (Bakersfield): market median $37.48, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$60.97Kern (Bakersfield)+$60.97Riverside (Riverside): market median $37.85, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$60.60Riverside (Riverside)+$60.60San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo): market median $38.14, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$60.31San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo)+$60.31Santa Barbara (Santa Maria): market median $39.18, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$59.27Santa Barbara (Santa Maria)+$59.27Ventura (Oxnard): market median $40.05, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$58.40Ventura (Oxnard)+$58.40San Diego (San Diego): market median $40.23, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$58.22San Diego (San Diego)+$58.22Los Angeles (Los Angeles): market median $44.66, prevailing (union) $98.45, gap +$53.79Los Angeles (Los Angeles)+$53.79Shasta (Redding): market median $37.06, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$47.35Shasta (Redding)+$47.35Butte (Chico): market median $38.00, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$46.41Butte (Chico)+$46.41Sutter (Yuba City): market median $38.76, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$45.65Sutter (Yuba City)+$45.65Kings (Hanford): market median $30.31, prevailing (union) $74.87, gap +$44.56Kings (Hanford)+$44.56Napa (Napa): market median $43.30, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$41.11Napa (Napa)+$41.11El Dorado (Sacramento): market median $44.06, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$40.35El Dorado (Sacramento)+$40.35Merced (Merced): market median $35.96, prevailing (union) $74.87, gap +$38.91Merced (Merced)+$38.91Solano (Vallejo): market median $45.72, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$38.69Solano (Vallejo)+$38.69Fresno (Fresno): market median $37.65, prevailing (union) $74.87, gap +$37.22Fresno (Fresno)+$37.22Monterey (Salinas): market median $38.62, prevailing (union) $74.87, gap +$36.25Monterey (Salinas)+$36.25Sonoma (Santa Rosa): market median $50.52, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$33.89Sonoma (Santa Rosa)+$33.89Marin (San Francisco): market median $59.97, prevailing (union) $84.41, gap +$24.44Marin (San Francisco)+$24.44
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for heavy equipment operators, metro counties in California.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ImperialUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260002
InyoUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260020
KernUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260020
Los AngelesUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260022
MonoUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260020
OrangeUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260024
RiversideUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260025
San BernardinoUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260026
San DiegoUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260001
San Luis ObispoUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260012
Santa BarbaraUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260014
VenturaUnion ENGI0012-024 2025-07-01$65.25$33.20$98.45CA20260015
AlpineUnion ENGI0003-019 2025-06-30$55.85$28.56$84.41CA20260007
ButteUnion ENGI0003-019 2025-06-30$55.85$28.56$84.41CA20260007
ColusaUnion ENGI0003-019 2025-06-30$55.85$28.56$84.41CA20260007

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the California prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in California?

898.7kConstruction jobsCalifornia, 2026-08
-1.4%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k1,200k19901995200020052010201520202025899kAug 2026
Construction employment in California (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just heavy equipment operators), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Santa Clara County36,245$125,489$2,413
San Francisco County9,262$117,920$2,268
Alameda County30,452$108,326$2,083
San Mateo County9,114$100,601$1,935
Napa County2,507$99,591$1,915
Tehama County591$98,752$1,899
Contra Costa County14,636$93,476$1,798
Marin County3,891$91,182$1,754
Orange County71,320$90,517$1,741
Solano County6,754$86,478$1,663
Yolo County2,809$86,258$1,659
Sonoma County10,718$85,602$1,646

Keep comparing

Heavy equipment operator pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in California

Questions this page answers

How much do heavy equipment operators make in California?

The median heavy equipment operator in California earned $41.90 an hour ($87,160 a year) in May 2025, 46% above the national median of $28.78. The middle half earn $31.36–$60.37; the top 10% earn more than $63.56.

Where does California rank for heavy equipment operator pay?

California ranks 4th of 51 states for heavy equipment operator pay, with a median of $41.90 an hour, and 7th after adjusting for California's cost of living (BEA price parity 110.7, US = 100).

What is the union heavy equipment operator rate in California?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for heavy equipment operators in 52 counties, with a typical package of $84.41 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many heavy equipment operators work in California?

BLS counted 36,020 operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in California in May 2025, 2.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.64; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California and metro areas, SOC 47-2073.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.