Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operator Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators among California metropolitan areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$39,270
25th Percentile Wage
$46,300
50th Percentile Wage
$58,720
75th Percentile Wage
$80,190
90th Percentile Wage
$109,560

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $109,560. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $58,720. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $39,270.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$58,720
-5.04% 6.08%
2017
$61,680
3.26% -
2016
$59,670
4.36% -
2015
$57,070
1.86% -
2014
$56,010
5.14% -
2013
$53,130
-3.80% -
2012
$55,150
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in state of California ranges from $42,690 to $95,000. The highest paying area for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators in California is San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City with a median annual salary of $95,000. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Modesto (mean annual salary $92,210). The lowest paying area is North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $42,690.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$95,000
Modesto
$92,210
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$87,510
Chico
$82,410
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$76,620
Redding
$74,910
Salinas
$65,380
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$63,440
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$63,350
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$62,820
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$60,530
Fresno
$59,580
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$59,140
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$58,020
Stockton
$56,160
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$55,760
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$55,700
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$54,440
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$53,720
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$53,410
Merced
$53,260
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$52,880
Vallejo-Fairfield
$52,190
Bakersfield-Delano
$51,370
Visalia-Porterville
$48,810
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$46,410
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$45,830
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$45,770
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$42,690