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

The median hourly wage is $45.72. The middle half earn between $34.44 and $59.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.79 an hour ($59,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $34.44.

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

San Francisco pays more: the median is $95,100 in Vallejo and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 24% difference.

How does Vallejo pay compare with the rest of California?

The Vallejo median of $95,100 is 9% more than the California median of $87,160.

Heavy equipment operator salary in Vallejo, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Heavy equipment operators in the Vallejo, CA area earn a median of $95,100 a year, or $45.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $135,570. Across all of California, the median is $87,160, so Vallejo pays 9% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$95,100

Bottom 10% under$59,880Top 10% over$135,570

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $28.79/hr
Jobs in this area: 630
After cost of living: $87,670
Median hourly pay: $45.72/hr
vs U.S. median: +59%
vs California median: +9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46700, Vallejo, 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	$59,880–$71,640$28.79–$34.44/hr
Experienced operator	$95,100$45.72/hr
Top earners	$124,480–$135,570$59.84–$65.18/hr

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

How Vallejo, CA compares

Vallejo ranks 4th of 25 California metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay.
Heavy equipment operators are more concentrated in the Vallejo area than nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $135,570, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $59,880: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Vallejo, CA

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

Questions

How much do heavy equipment operators make in Vallejo, CA?: Heavy equipment operators in the Vallejo, CA area earn a median of $95,100 a year, or $45.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $135,570.
How much do heavy equipment operators make an hour in Vallejo, CA?: The median hourly wage is $45.72. The middle half earn between $34.44 and $59.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice heavy equipment operators make in Vallejo, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.79 an hour ($59,880 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $34.44.
Do heavy equipment operators make more in Vallejo or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $95,100 in Vallejo and $124,750 in San Francisco, a 24% difference.
How does Vallejo pay compare with the rest of California?: The Vallejo median of $95,100 is 9% 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 46700 (Vallejo, 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 (108.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures