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Salary · Truck Driver · California

Truck Driver salary in California: $60,230 median.

How pay for truck drivers in California compares with the national figure and other states, and where in the state it is highest.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · California · BLS May 2025
$60,230median in California

Hourly pay in California, BLS May 2025: 10th percentile $20.11 · 25th $23.43 · median $28.96 · 75th $34.77 · 90th $39.41.

Quick answer

Truck Drivers in California earned a median of $60,230 a year in May 2025 (BLS), 3% above the national median of $58,640. California ranked 19 of 51 for this occupation's median pay, with about 205,090 people employed.

California median
$60,230
$28.96/hr
U.S. median
$58,640
+3% in California
Rank among states
19 of 51
by median pay
Employed
205,090
location quotient 0.85
Key facts

More on truck driver pay in California

  • The median hourly wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in California was $28.96 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The middle half of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in California earned between $48,740 and $72,330 a year in May 2025 (25th to 75th percentile, BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The lowest-paid 10% of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in California earned less than $41,830 a year in May 2025, and the top 10% more than $81,960 (BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The mean annual wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in California was $62,020 in May 2025, according to BLS; the mean is a different measure from the median.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Metro areas

Where in California it pays most

Data Metropolitan areas in the state with at least 30 people employed in the occupation.

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$70,730
  2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$66,450
  3. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$62,620
  4. Vallejo, CA$61,540
  5. Napa, CA$60,860
  6. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$60,810
  7. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$60,580
  8. Stockton-Lodi, CA$60,470
Nearby in the ranking

States with similar pay

Data Ranked by state median, BLS May 2025.

  1. Indiana$60,290
  2. New Hampshire$60,280
  3. California$60,230
  4. Rhode Island$60,190
  5. Hawaii$59,820

See all states on the national Truck Driver salary page.

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Method

How this page is built

BLS OEWS state and metropolitan-area estimates for May 2025, for the occupation shown. Ranks compare state medians only.

What this page can't tell you
  • Cost of living, which changes what a salary is worth.
  • Pay at a specific employer or for self-employed workers.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

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