Heavy equipment operator salary in Santa Cruz, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Heavy equipment operators in the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA area earn a median of $75,640 a year, or $36.36 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $136,950. Statewide, heavy equipment operators earn a median of $87,160; Santa Cruz is 13% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $26.51/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 130
- After cost of living
- $68,830
- Median hourly pay
- $36.36/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +26%
- vs California median
- −13%
Entry-level to top heavy equipment operator pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $55,130–$61,210$26.51–$29.43/hr | |
| Experienced operator | $75,640$36.36/hr | |
| Top earners | $96,850–$136,950$46.56–$65.84/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Santa Cruz, CA compares
- Santa Cruz ranks 21st of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
- Heavy equipment operators are less concentrated in the Santa Cruz area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.41 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $136,950, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $55,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Santa Cruz, CA
Questions
- How much do heavy equipment operators make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- Heavy equipment operators in the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA area earn a median of $75,640 a year, or $36.36 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $136,950.
- How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Santa Cruz, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $36.36. The middle half earn between $29.43 and $46.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $26.51 an hour ($55,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.43.
- Do heavy equipment operators make more in Santa Cruz or San Francisco?
- San Francisco pays more: the median is $75,640 in Santa Cruz and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 39% difference.
- How does Santa Cruz pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Santa Cruz median of $75,640 is 13% 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 42100 (Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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 (109.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures