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

The median hourly wage is $43.30. The middle half earn between $29.63 and $57.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.96 an hour ($47,760 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.63.

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

San Francisco pays more: the median is $90,060 in Napa and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 28% difference.

How does Napa pay compare with the rest of California?

The Napa median of $90,060 is 3% more than the California median of $87,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Napa, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Napa, CA area earn a median of $90,060 a year, or $43.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $139,140. That's 3% more than the California median of $87,160.

Median yearly pay$90,060

Bottom 10% under$47,760Top 10% over$139,140

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.96/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $80,010
Median hourly pay: $43.30/hr
vs U.S. median: +50%
vs California median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 34900, Napa, 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	$47,760–$61,640$22.96–$29.63/hr
Experienced operator	$90,060$43.30/hr
Top earners	$120,490–$139,140$57.93–$66.90/hr

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

How Napa, CA compares

Napa ranks 8th of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Napa area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.67 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $139,140, is 2.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,760: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Napa, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Napa, CA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Napa, CA area earn a median of $90,060 a year, or $43.30 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $139,140.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Napa, CA?: The median hourly wage is $43.30. The middle half earn between $29.63 and $57.93 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Napa, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.96 an hour ($47,760 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.63.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Napa or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $90,060 in Napa and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 28% difference.
How does Napa pay compare with the rest of California?: The Napa median of $90,060 is 3% more 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 34900 (Napa, 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 (112.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures