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Heavy Equipment Operator Salary in San Jose, CA

Updated

The median heavy equipment operator in the San Jose area earns $124,340 a year ($59.78 an hour), 108% above the U.S. median ($59,850) and 43% above the California median ($87,160). Half of the 1,360 heavy equipment operators there earn between $79,470 and $130,150.

Percentiles. Dark: the middle half of earners. Red line: median.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, May 2025 (latest official data). Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Annual paySan Jose areaCaliforniaU.S.
10th percentile$60,680$52,760$42,190
25th percentile$79,470$65,230$48,680
Median$124,340$87,160$59,850
75th percentile$130,150$125,560$77,170
90th percentile$152,760$132,210$101,090
Average$111,400$94,000$66,290
Jobs1,36036,020478,090

San Jose, CA ranks 2nd of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas for heavy equipment operator pay. Highest: San Francisco, CA ($124,750).

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Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, www.bls.gov/oes. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.