Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
Take-home estimate: single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $59,780 a year ($28.74 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $48,370 and $69,650 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $40,880 or less and the top 10 percent earn $78,250 or more. BLS estimates 10,440 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 6.791 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.51 (well below the national concentration). That is 0.5% of all Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers employment in the United States (2,062,040 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #25 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. In aggregate, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.63 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $48,168.26 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is about $0.50 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #12 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. By employment, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is the #25 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $59,780 falls between the national median ($58,640) and the national 75th percentile ($69,120). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay is 1.9% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $28.93 | $60,180 |
| 10th percentile | $19.65 | $40,880 |
| 25th percentile | $23.26 | $48,370 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $28.74 | $59,780 |
| 75th percentile | $33.49 | $69,650 |
| 90th percentile | $37.62 | $78,250 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.9 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($78,250 against $40,880). The middle half spans $21,280 — from $48,370 to $69,650. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($37.62) is 1.91 times the 10th ($19.65). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $69,650 takes home $54,686.22 and the 90th percentile wage of $78,250 takes home $59,936.38 — $5,250.16 more net for $8,600 more gross. Against the median take-home of $47,876.16, the top decile keeps 1.25 times as much. The mean wage of $60,180 sits 0.7% above the median: higher-paid Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ranks #10 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers sits between Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel at $74,610 and Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $58,580. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 29,037 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $59,780.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,993.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,706.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $866.81 |
| California income tax | $1,559.88 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $777.14 |
| Total deductions | $11,903.84 |
| Net pay (annual) | $47,876.16 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,841.39 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.91% of gross |
At the median, $47,876.16 of the $59,780 gross is kept ($1,841.39 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.91%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.04% at the 10th percentile, 18.27% at the 25th percentile, 21.48% at the 75th percentile, 23.40% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,153.10 on a gross rise of $21,280.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($40,880) | $33,912.26 | $1,304.32 | 17.04% |
| 25th percentile ($48,370) | $39,533.12 | $1,520.50 | 18.27% |
| Median ($59,780) | $47,876.16 | $1,841.39 | 19.91% |
| 75th percentile ($69,650) | $54,686.22 | $2,103.32 | 21.48% |
| 90th percentile ($78,250) | $59,936.38 | $2,305.25 | 23.40% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,912.26 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,936.38 at the 90th — a spread of $26,024.12 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers median take-home of $47,876.16 sits $796.20 (1.7%) above the area-wide median take-home of $47,079.96.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earns $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour). The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $59,780 is $1,140 (1.9%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $60,180 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $59,710 nationally, a gap of $470 (0.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 90th percentile of $78,250 is 51% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $40,880 is 113% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $59,780 | $28.74 | $60,180 |
| United States | $58,640 | $28.19 | $59,710 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$59,780 a year ($28.74 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $60,180 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $59,780 in California?
About $47,876.16 a year ($1,841.39 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.91% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $69,650, take-home is $54,686.22.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $59,780 is $1,140 (1.9%) above the national median of $58,640 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $78,250, against a national 90th percentile of $79,380.
How much do the top 10% of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$78,250 a year or more ($37.62 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $78,250 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $59,936.38 a year ($2,305.25 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 23.40%.
How many Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 10,440 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 6.791 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.51 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $33,912.26 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($40,880) to $59,936.38 at the 90th ($78,250), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.63 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 10,440 multiplied by the mean wage of $60,180.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.