Trucking pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a median of $59,500 a year ($28.60 an hour), across 750 jobs. Figures are from the 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
That is 1.5% above the national median of $58,640 for this occupation.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
750 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $59,500 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,120 | $18.81 |
| 25th percentile | $48,930 | — |
| Median | $59,500 | $28.60 |
| 75th percentile | $71,450 | — |
| 90th percentile | $81,470 | $39.17 |
| Mean | $60,240 | $28.96 |
Light truck drivers
590 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $48,740 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,570 | $18.54 |
| 25th percentile | $41,690 | — |
| Median | $48,740 | $23.43 |
| 75th percentile | $52,670 | — |
| 90th percentile | $63,750 | $30.65 |
| Mean | $50,310 | $24.19 |
Driver/sales workers
320 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $41,600 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,320 | $16.50 |
| 25th percentile | $34,320 | — |
| Median | $41,600 | $20.00 |
| 75th percentile | $47,420 | — |
| 90th percentile | $55,870 | $26.86 |
| Mean | $42,730 | $20.54 |
Industrial truck and tractor operators
270 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $46,530 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,660 | $19.07 |
| 25th percentile | $40,290 | — |
| Median | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| 75th percentile | $50,120 | — |
| 90th percentile | $60,060 | $28.88 |
| Mean | $47,130 | $22.66 |
Dispatchers, except police, fire and ambulance
120 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $57,100 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,010 | $22.12 |
| 25th percentile | $47,390 | — |
| Median | $57,100 | $27.45 |
| 75th percentile | $65,580 | — |
| 90th percentile | $77,960 | $37.48 |
| Mean | $58,450 | $28.10 |
First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers
320 employed in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, median $59,880 a year.
| Measure | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,170 | $21.24 |
| 25th percentile | $48,680 | — |
| Median | $59,880 | $28.79 |
| 75th percentile | $77,620 | — |
| 90th percentile | $96,390 | $46.34 |
| Mean | $64,990 | $31.25 |
How to read these figures
These are wages as reported by employers, not owner-operator revenue: they exclude what an owner-operator grosses and the costs that come out of it. A dash means the survey did not publish that figure for this area, which it withholds where publishing it would identify an employer.