California State Controller's Office · 2025 pay · 143 people
How much does a refuse operator make in California State Controller's Office?
$75,497typical pay for a refuse operator in 2025
$32,445 – $90,444what most people earned
Includes everyone paid during 2025, including part-year workers. Typical pay fell 0.1% from 2024.
✓ Official data from California State Controller's Office · Matches the agency's latest release · sco.ca.gov ↗✓ Official data from California State Controller's Office · Matches the agency's latest release · sco.ca.gov ↗
Where refuse operators work
Typical pay at each employer, 2025 (everyone paid).
Pay by level
Levels with 5 or more people.
- Refuse Operator II73 people$35,716
- Refuse Operator III40 people$86,751
- Refuse Operator IV27 people$96,641
Highest-paid refuse operators, 2025
Common questions
How much does a refuse operator make in California State Controller's Office?
The typical refuse operator was paid $75,497 in 2025; most earned between $32,445 and $90,444. This counts all 143 people paid, including part-year workers.
How much of the pay is overtime?
Overtime made up 17.7% of all pay for refuse operators in 2025.
Which job titles are included?
Everyone whose payroll title is Refuse Operator, at any level (for example "Refuse Operator II"). Part-time-schedule titles (such as "20 hours") are left out. Senior, supervising and trainee titles have their own pages.
Job titles are written out in full from the payroll's abbreviations (for example "SR CRRECTNL POLC OFCR" → "Senior Correctional Police Officer"). "Typical pay" is the median; "most earned" is the middle half. How we calculate this