Heavy equipment operator salary in San Jose, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area earn a median of $124,340 a year, or $59.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $152,760. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $87,160; San Jose is 43% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $29.17/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,360
- After cost of living
- $112,600
- Median hourly pay
- $59.78/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +108%
- vs California median
- +43%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $60,680–$79,470$29.17–$38.21/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $124,340$59.78/hr | |
| Top earners | $130,150–$152,760$62.57–$73.44/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How San Jose, CA compares
- San Jose ranks 2nd of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the San Jose area than nationally: 1.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.39 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $152,760, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $60,680: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in San Jose, CA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in San Jose, CA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area earn a median of $124,340 a year, or $59.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $152,760.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in San Jose, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $59.78. The middle half earn between $38.21 and $62.57 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in San Jose, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $29.17 an hour ($60,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $38.21.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in San Jose or San Francisco?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $124,340 in San Jose and $124,750 in San Francisco.
- How does San Jose pay compare with the rest of California?
- The San Jose median of $124,340 is 43% 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 41940 (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 (110.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures