What Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn in Orange County, CA
The median pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Orange County, CA is $60,340 per year, which works out to $29.01 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, the labor market that Orange County, CA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $61,230, which is 1.5% above the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 61,270 people working in this occupation across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Orange County, CA has roughly 3,165,820 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $42,910 a year ($20.63 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $80,120 or more ($38.52 an hour). That is a gap of $37,210 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $49,020 at the 25th percentile and $70,600 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.9 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $29.01 an hour or $60,340 a year at the median for Orange County, CA. Before any deductions, that is $5,028 a month, $2,321 every two weeks and $1,160 each week. After taxes the same job pays $23.51 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Orange County, CA compares
Compared with the California average
Pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Orange County, CA is in line with the statewide figure: $60,340 locally against an employment-weighted California average of $60,464, a difference of only $124 (0.2%). Within California, the highest median we track for this job is $60,580 in Riverside County, CA.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is $57,851 across the contiguous United States. At $60,340, Orange County, CA pays $2,489 more, which is 4.3% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Orange County, CA
Among the 633 occupations with published wages in Orange County, CA, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ranks number 380 by median pay, ahead of about 40% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Lawyers at $194,410 a year, which is $134,070 more than the median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earning the Orange County, CA median of $60,340, they add up to $11,445. The result is $48,895 of take-home pay a year ($4,075 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $19 goes to taxes and $81 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 19.0%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $44,590. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $5,112, an effective 8.5% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $3,741 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $875. FICA totals $4,616, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in California
California income tax on this salary is $1,717 a year, or 2.8% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 34% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $143 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Orange County, CA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Orange County, CA show an average adjusted gross income of $120,090 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 16.7% across all filers. Filers in the $50,000 to under $75,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 7.4%, compared with the 8.5% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Orange County, CA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Orange County, CA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $48,895 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Orange County, CA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,610 a month ($31,320 a year), and at $3,057 for two bedrooms. For Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, a one-bedroom absorbs 64.1% of take-home pay and 51.9% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 5.7% of gross pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Orange County, CA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using California residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,378 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $751, for $4,129 in total. Gasoline in California averages $4.42 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $2,047.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $40,931 a year in Orange County, CA. Subtract that from $48,895 of take-home pay and $7,964 remains, which is $664 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 13.2% of gross pay, a workable but modest cushion.
Can Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers afford to live in Orange County, CA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $60,340 that ceiling is $1,508 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,610 is $1,102 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $50.19 an hour; the median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is $29.01, which is 42% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $23.51 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 25.6 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $3,057 a month means $1,529 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $12,978 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $20,942.
How fast you can save
At $664 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 16 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 32 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay in Orange County, CA
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers make per hour in Orange County, CA?
The median is $29.01 per hour, based on $60,340 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $20.63 at the 10th percentile to $38.52 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers take home after taxes in Orange County, CA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $60,340 becomes $48,895 a year. That is $4,075 a month, $1,881 every two weeks or $940 a week.
How much tax do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay in Orange County, CA?
Total taxes are $11,445 a year, an effective rate of 19.0%: $5,112 federal income tax, $4,616 FICA and $1,717 California income tax.
Do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn more in Orange County, CA than elsewhere in California?
It is about the same. The local median of $60,340 is within 0.2% of the California average of $60,464.
Can Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Orange County, CA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,610 a month against take-home pay of $4,075, which is 64.1% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,508 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Orange County, CA?
About $664 a month ($7,964 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $40,931 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Orange County, CA at the 30% guideline?
$50.19 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $31,320 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is $29.01.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the California rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.