Truck driver (heavy) · Santa Cruz, CA

Truck driver (heavy) in Santa Cruz: -$694/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Santa Cruz at $59,500 a year. About 750 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.57). The 10th percentile is $39,120 and the 90th is $81,470. Pay ranks 100th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 1.9× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,638/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$694 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Carson City, about 192 miles away, at $961 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

-$694

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$59,500

$39,120 to $81,470

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

750

Location quotient 0.57

Pay rank

100th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

1.9×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $59,500.

Taxes$956
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $59,500
Federal income tax: −$5,102
Social Security and Medicare: −$4,552
State income tax (CA): −$1,815
Take-home pay: $48,032
Effective tax rate: 19.3%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,638
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $489
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,697

Left over each month

$4,958 gross, minus $956 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

-$694

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Carson City, $961/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 Santa Cruz?

$59,500 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 750 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in Santa Cruz?

-$694 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 1.9× a year of it.

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

Carson City, about 192 miles away, leaves $961 a month, more than Santa Cruz.