Truck driver (heavy) · Santa Maria, CA

Truck driver (heavy) in Santa Maria: -$658/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Santa Maria at $55,910 a year. About 1,550 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.58). The 10th percentile is $37,770 and the 90th is $77,270. Pay ranks 229th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.0× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,323/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$658 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Bakersfield, about 94 miles away, at $421 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

-$658

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$55,910

$37,770 to $77,270

Rent (1 bd)

$2,323

$2,765 (2 bd)

Employment

1,550

Location quotient 0.58

Pay rank

229th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

2.0×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $55,910.

Taxes$879
Rent$2,323
Other living costs$2,115

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $55,910
Federal income tax: −$4,671
Social Security and Medicare: −$4,277
State income tax (CA): −$1,600
Take-home pay: $45,362
Effective tax rate: 18.9%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,323
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $544
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,438

Left over each month

$4,659 gross, minus $879 in tax and $4,438 in living costs.

-$658

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 Santa Maria?

$55,910 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,550 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

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

-$658 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,323, and pay covers 2.0× a year of it.

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

Bakersfield, about 94 miles away, leaves $421 a month, more than Santa Maria.