Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$42,910
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$9,440
18.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,115
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$52,350
Kept after tax
$42,910
Worth in national money
$38,115
State rank
18
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- California sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $52,350, ranking 18 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 353 among 492 occupations California publishes pay for.
- California is an expensive state, and the adjusted figure shows it. From $52,350 the take-home is $42,910; in national-average money that behaves like $38,115. The average comes to $57,950, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- California occupies the middle band for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance: a median of $52,350, ranking 18 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Position 353 of 492 in California places dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Take-home for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in California, on $52,350, is $42,910; deflated by the state's price level, $38,115. ⚠️ The deflator is statewide, so it understates the erosion in the state's metropolitan areas and overstates it outside them. At $57,950 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $52,350 |
| Top tenth earn over | $81,070 |
| This salary | $52,350 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in California | $42,910 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $44,243 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$7,415 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $50,690 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,968 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in California earn under $52,350 and half over. The published range runs $39,520 at the tenth percentile to $81,070 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $42,910 take-home in California comes from $52,350. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 353 of 492.
- Two cautions on $38,115, the adjusted value of that $52,350 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of California. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 353 of 492 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in California, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $39,520 to $81,070; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Retained pay of $42,910, from $52,350, assumes a single California filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 353 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 18 of 51 for it.
- This $38,115 adjusted figure, worked from $52,350, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 353 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 353 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $57,950, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $39,520 at the bottom tenth to $81,070 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in California run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $38,115 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; California then takes its own share, leaving $42,910.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in California is $57,950. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($39,520) and the ninetieth ($81,070) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $38,115 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $42,910 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.