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

The median hourly wage is $35.96. The middle half earn between $29.02 and $56.66 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.97 an hour ($51,940 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.02.

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

San Francisco pays more: the median is $74,800 in Merced and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 40% difference.

How does Merced pay compare with the rest of California?

The Merced median of $74,800 is 14% less than the California median of $87,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Merced, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Merced, CA area earn a median of $74,800 a year, or $35.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $126,770. That's 14% less than the California median of $87,160.

Median yearly pay$74,800

Bottom 10% under$51,940Top 10% over$126,770

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.97/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $76,110
Median hourly pay: $35.96/hr
vs U.S. median: +25%
vs California median: −14%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 32900, Merced, 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	$51,940–$60,360$24.97–$29.02/hr
Experienced operator	$74,800$35.96/hr
Top earners	$117,860–$126,770$56.66–$60.95/hr

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

How Merced, CA compares

Merced ranks 22nd of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Merced area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.67 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $126,770, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $51,940: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Merced, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Merced, CA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Merced, CA area earn a median of $74,800 a year, or $35.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $126,770.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Merced, CA?: The median hourly wage is $35.96. The middle half earn between $29.02 and $56.66 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Merced, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.97 an hour ($51,940 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.02.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Merced or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $74,800 in Merced and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 40% difference.
How does Merced pay compare with the rest of California?: The Merced median of $74,800 is 14% 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 32900 (Merced, 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 (98.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures