How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Chico, CA?

The median hourly wage is $38.00. The middle half earn between $30.40 and $59.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Chico, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.00 an hour ($52,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.40.

Do heavy equipment operators make more in Chico or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $79,040 in Chico and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 37% difference.

How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?

The Chico median of $79,040 is 9% less than the California median of $87,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Chico, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $79,040 a year, or $38.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $132,820. That's 9% less than the California median of $87,160.

Median yearly pay$79,040

Bottom 10% under$52,010Top 10% over$132,820

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $25.00/hr
Jobs in this area: 230
After cost of living: $78,110
Median hourly pay: $38.00/hr
vs U.S. median: +32%
vs California median: −9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17020, Chico, CA). Excludes self-employed heavy equipment operators. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice / entry level	$52,010–$63,230$25.00–$30.40/hr
Experienced operator	$79,040$38.00/hr
Top earners	$124,400–$132,820$59.81–$63.86/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Chico, CA compares

Chico ranks 15th of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators hold about the same share of jobs in the Chico area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $132,820, is 2.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Chico, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Chico, CA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $79,040 a year, or $38.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $132,820.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Chico, CA?: The median hourly wage is $38.00. The middle half earn between $30.40 and $59.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Chico, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.00 an hour ($52,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.40.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Chico or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $79,040 in Chico and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 37% difference.
How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?: The Chico median of $79,040 is 9% less than the California median of $87,160.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2073 (Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators), area code 17020 (Chico, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed heavy equipment operators and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (101.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures