Truck driver (heavy) · San Luis Obispo, CA

Truck driver (heavy) in San Luis Obispo: -$82/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in San Luis Obispo at $60,380 a year. About 720 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.45). The 10th percentile is $40,690 and the 90th is $76,250. Pay ranks 68th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,013/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$82 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Bakersfield, about 98 miles away, at $421 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

-$82

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$60,380

$40,690 to $76,250

Rent (1 bd)

$2,013

$2,396 (2 bd)

Employment

720

Location quotient 0.45

Pay rank

68th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

2.5×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $60,380.

Taxes$975
Rent$2,013
Other living costs$2,126

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $60,380
Federal income tax: −$5,207
Social Security and Medicare: −$4,619
State income tax (CA): −$1,868
Take-home pay: $48,686
Effective tax rate: 19.4%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,013
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $556
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,139

Left over each month

$5,032 gross, minus $975 in tax and $4,139 in living costs.

-$82

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Bakersfield, $421/mo.

Truck driver (heavy) leftover by city →Best cities for truck drivers to move to →

Truck driver (heavy) nearby

Questions

What does a truck driver (heavy) make in San Luis Obispo?

$60,380 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 720 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in San Luis Obispo?

-$82 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,013, and pay covers 2.5× a year of it.

Where nearby would a truck driver (heavy) keep more?

Bakersfield, about 98 miles away, leaves $421 a month, more than San Luis Obispo.