Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
25 metro areas in California publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 196,660 jobs. The three largest employers of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (61,270 jobs), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (40,230 jobs), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (16,450 jobs), which hold 60.0% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $48,110 to $70,730 a year, against $60,230 for the whole state and $58,640 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $58,640 a year for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $40,140 and the highest-paid tenth over $79,380). Employment is projected to change by +3.8% between 2025 and 2035, with about 214,500 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Postsecondary nondegree award; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in California: the highest median pay is in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area ($70,730 a year); the most jobs are in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (61,270). Statewide the median is $60,230 with 205,090 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 5,360 | $70,730 | $48,280 | $94,620 | 0.36 | 48% | 110.4 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 16,450 | $66,450 | $48,300 | $94,280 | 0.52 | 45% | 115.6 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 1,860 | $62,620 | $46,380 | $80,190 | 0.69 | 41% | 107.8 |
| Vallejo, CA | 2,380 | $61,540 | $43,530 | $80,370 | 1.24 | 42% | 108.5 |
| Napa, CA | 600 | $60,860 | $46,190 | $79,860 | 0.58 | 44% | 112.6 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 10,960 | $60,810 | $44,000 | $81,030 | 0.76 | 36% | 106.7 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 40,230 | $60,580 | $39,320 | $97,320 | 1.77 | 37% | 106.4 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 10,110 | $60,470 | $40,500 | $80,070 | 2.63 | 34% | 105.1 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 720 | $60,380 | $40,690 | $76,250 | 0.45 | n/a | n/a |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 61,270 | $60,340 | $42,910 | $80,120 | 0.74 | 41% | 113.6 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 10,440 | $59,780 | $40,880 | $78,250 | 0.51 | 45% | 111.9 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 750 | $59,500 | $39,120 | $81,470 | 0.57 | n/a | n/a |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 3,020 | $59,120 | $39,590 | $76,910 | 0.70 | 47% | 110.5 |
| Modesto, CA | 3,510 | $58,330 | $38,530 | $78,030 | 1.36 | 33% | 104.1 |
| Yuba City, CA | 1,790 | $58,230 | $43,660 | $73,670 | 2.64 | n/a | n/a |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 7,050 | $57,690 | $38,490 | $74,870 | 1.57 | 27% | 100.9 |
| Chico, CA | 650 | $57,480 | $39,930 | $73,220 | 0.63 | 30% | 101.2 |
| Redding, CA | 940 | $57,350 | $39,490 | $74,400 | 1.00 | 28% | 100.7 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 1,550 | $55,910 | $37,770 | $77,270 | 0.58 | 46% | 108.8 |
| Fresno, CA | 8,170 | $55,740 | $36,620 | $76,580 | 1.29 | 30% | 102.2 |
| Merced, CA | 1,710 | $55,630 | $36,470 | $83,810 | 1.62 | 29% | 98.3 |
| El Centro, CA | 1,130 | $55,140 | $37,870 | $75,380 | 1.30 | n/a | n/a |
| Salinas, CA | 2,140 | $53,390 | $38,480 | $76,970 | 0.87 | 46% | 109.0 |
| Visalia, CA | 3,060 | $51,530 | $36,010 | $89,030 | 1.35 | 30% | 99.8 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 810 | $48,110 | $36,730 | $78,890 | 1.25 | n/a | n/a |
National page: Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers →Cities of California
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area, with a median of $70,730 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, with 61,270 jobs.