SOC 53-3032 · El Centro, CA metro

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Salary in El Centro, CA

The average salary for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in El Centro, California is $56,410 a year ($27.12 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $55,140: half of the 1,130 people in this job in the El Centro, CA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 6% less than the U.S. average for this job ($59,710).

$56,410average per year

$27.12 / hourMedian $55,140Take-home ≈ $45,928

  • $38K10th
  • $46K25th
  • $55KMedian
  • $64K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

1,130people in this job
-6%vs U.S. average
#21 of 25California metros
95cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay range in El Centro

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,870 a year or less, while the top 10% make $75,380 or more. The middle half of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in El Centro earn between $46,340 and $63,510.

  • $38K10th
  • $46K25th
  • $55KMedian
  • $64K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$56,410$4,701$27.12
Median$55,140$4,595$26.51
Entry level (25th percentile)$46,340$3,862$22.28
Experienced (75th percentile)$63,510$5,292$30.53

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay in El Centro vs. California and the U.S.

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in El Centro earn 9% less than the California average ($62,020) and 6% less than the U.S. average ($59,710). At the median the gap is -6% against the U.S. median of $58,640.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
El Centro$56,410$55,140$37,870$75,3801,130
California$62,020$60,230$41,830$81,960205,090
United States$59,710$58,640$40,140$79,3802,062,040

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary after taxes in El Centro

On the average salary of $56,410, a single filer in El Centro takes home about $45,928 a year, or $3,827 a month and $1,766 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

California paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is El Centro a good place for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the El Centro area are 5% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 95.2), so the average $56,410 buys what about $59,270 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.2 times the median wage of all jobs in El Centro ($45,140). A typical home costs $379,330, or 6.7 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $56,410 is worth in another city

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in other California cities

El Centro ranks 21st of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($70,730).

All Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salaries in California

Highest-paying cities for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

Iowa City, IA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($77,940).

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary by city

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Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in El Centro: questions

How much do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make an hour in El Centro?

$27.12 an hour on average, and $26.51 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers salary in El Centro?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,870 a year and the 25th percentile is $46,340, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers take-home pay in El Centro?

About $45,928 a year ($3,827 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $56,410. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn more in El Centro than elsewhere?

The average here is 6% less than the U.S. average for this job ($59,710).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 53-3032; area El Centro, CA (20940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.30, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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