California · 2025 pay

How much do San Diego County employees make?

Name: County of San Diego employee pay 2025
Creator: PublicPayData

$82,877typical pay, counting everyone paid in 2025

$52,478 – $117,585what most people earned

Includes everyone paid during 2025, including part-year and seasonal workers. The source doesn't show who worked the full year.

California State Controller's Office publishes pay by position without employee names, so there is no name search here.

Common jobs: Human Services Specialist Dep Sheriff Dep Sheriff - Detentions/Ctsvc

✓ Official data from California State Controller's OfficeMatches the agency's latest releasesco.ca.gov ↗

How is pay spread across workers?

A year of pay for a lower-paid, typical and higher-paid worker (counting everyone paid), and the top earner, split into regular pay, overtime and extra pay.

$52,508

$82,881

$117,661

$803,634

Lower-paid workerearns more than 1 in 4 coworkers

Typical workerright in the middle

Higher-paid workerearns more than 3 in 4 coworkers

Highest paidone person

Regular payOvertimeExtra pay

Is pay going up?

Yes. Typical pay went from $56,852 in 2022 to $82,877 in 2025 (+46%).

Typical payNumber of people paidTotal payroll

What changed since 2024

+25.0%Typical pay went up from $66,288 to $82,877.
−3,62922,803 people were paid in 2025, compared with 26,432 in 2024.
+46%Since 2022, typical pay has gone from $56,852 to $82,877, while the number of people paid went down from 25,940 to 22,803.

The next update is expected in late 2027.

Pay slip · 2025

A typical worker's year

San Diego County

4years of
official data
2022–2025

Average pay of people in the middle of the pay range
Regular pay	$76,930
Overtime	$3,295
Extra pay	$2,655
Total for the year	$82,881

Average of the 1,140 workers in the middle of the pay range. Does not include benefits.

Official source: California State Controller's Office (Government Compensation in California), sco.ca.gov ↗
Matches the agency's latest release

Pay by job

Jobs held by 5 or more people in 2025.

Job	People	Typical pay	Most earn	Since 2024
Human Services Specialist	1,916	$62,131	$50k – $73k	▲ 18.9%
Dep Sheriff	1,223	$147,417	$113k – $179k	▲ 1.5%
Dep Sheriff - Detentions/Ctsvc	972	$124,109	$98k – $149k	▲ 2.4%
Office Assistant	857	$47,823	$39k – $52k	▲ 10.2%
Dep Probation Officer	648	$97,873	$82k – $105k	▲ 10.1%
Protective Services Worker	595	$93,676	$77k – $99k	▲ 12.1%
Election Worker Specialist	427	$3,325	$2k – $8k	▼ 34.7%
Admin Analyst II	400	$96,728	$90k – $105k	▲ 9.6%
Social Worker III	335	$90,160	$82k – $95k	▲ 10.7%
Student Worker - Undergraduate	330	$6,968	$4k – $12k	▲ 10.7%
Sheriff's Detentions Nurse	266	$167,385	$114k – $207k	▲ 6.1%
Supervisor Human Services Specialist	262	$94,640	$85k – $116k	▲ 8.3%
Admin Analyst III	239	$115,547	$105k – $117k	▲ 8.4%
Certified Nurse Assistant	193	$58,348	$40k – $60k	▲ 4.5%
Retiree Non-Exempt Classfd-Safety	183	$27,689	$18k – $35k	new
Park Attendant Seasonal	180	$10,489	$4k – $24k	▲ 18.6%
Sheriff's Sergeant	179	$202,932	$183k – $225k	▼ 2.3%
Program Specialist II	178	$106,082	$99k – $109k	▲ 6.3%
Legal Support Assistant II	173	$63,031	$59k – $64k	▲ 7.5%
Admin Analyst I	171	$73,012	$65k – $79k	▲ 6.1%
Protective Services Supervisor	170	$120,719	$114k – $130k	▲ 6.8%
Library Technician I	166	$15,828	$6k – $35k	▲ 22.3%
Detentions Processing Technician	165	$66,198	$53k – $70k	▲ 6.6%
Child Support Officer	160	$77,832	$77k – $79k	▲ 4.5%
Senior Protective Services Worker	152	$105,177	$101k – $112k	▲ 6.4%
Paralegal II	152	$90,508	$73k – $93k	▲ 2.9%
Senior Office Assistant	149	$57,904	$53k – $62k	▲ 7.5%
Dep District Attorney V	143	$235,664	$222k – $236k	▲ 5.7%
Retiree Non-Exempt Classfd-General	137	$22,457	$9k – $32k	new
Psychiatric Nurse	131	$139,774	$62k – $161k	▲ 46.2%
Public Health Nurse	128	$122,188	$121k – $123k	▲ 6.7%
Dep Public Defender III	123	$173,929	$136k – $182k	▲ 2.1%
Office Support Specialist	120	$54,583	$50k – $60k	▼ 1.0%
Adult Protective Services Specialist	114	$91,482	$80k – $96k	▲ 5.1%
Respite	113	$3,339	$1k – $6k	▲ 74.2%
Program Coordinator	112	$120,771	$110k – $128k	▲ 7.4%
Admin Secretary II	110	$63,598	$58k – $66k	▲ 9.3%
Equipment Operator	104	$76,637	$56k – $82k	▲ 11.8%
Sheriff's Sergeant-Detentions	102	$170,701	$147k – $201k	▼ 0.3%
Dep District Attorney III	101	$182,455	$162k – $182k	▲ 21.9%
Building Maintenance Eng	98	$80,760	$76k – $86k	▲ 4.2%
Election Poll Worker	95	$3,750	$3k – $6k	▲ 162.2%
Dist Attorney Investigator III	94	$160,314	$158k – $168k	▲ 3.9%
Licensed Mntl Health Clinician	91	$111,582	$83k – $112k	▲ 4.2%
Records Clerk	90	$46,392	$44k – $53k	▲ 12.7%
Accounting Technician	88	$63,334	$56k – $68k	▲ 4.5%
Supervisor Probation Officer	86	$136,016	$124k – $145k	▼ 2.8%
Aging Program Specialist II	83	$86,803	$79k – $92k	▲ 5.6%
Residential Care Worker II	83	$57,795	$47k – $64k	▲ 21.2%
Student Worker - Graduate/Technician	82	$7,599	$5k – $12k	▲ 2.7%
Principal Admin Analyst	80	$125,088	$121k – $128k	▲ 5.2%
Sheriff's Emergency Services Dispatche	79	$96,244	$84k – $110k	new
Environmental Health Specialist II	79	$88,564	$83k – $105k	▲ 9.1%
Dep District Attorney IV	78	$207,423	$198k – $210k	▲ 7.1%
Group Program Manager	77	$133,608	$126k – $149k	▲ 8.0%
Human Resources Specialist	76	$78,243	$71k – $84k	▲ 9.6%
Park Ranger	76	$67,259	$60k – $72k	▲ 7.5%
Senior Probation Officer	75	$116,325	$108k – $124k	▲ 3.4%
Associate Accountant	75	$83,595	$73k – $85k	▲ 5.4%
Human Services Program Manager	74	$134,583	$119k – $138k	▲ 6.1%
Social Worker I	73	$68,289	$64k – $74k	▲ 11.3%
Temp Expert Prof Employee	72	$30,915	$14k – $51k	▼ 0.9%
Legislative Assistant II B/S	71	$76,237	$45k – $121k	▼ 7.1%
Account Clerk Specialist	71	$53,160	$49k – $59k	▲ 14.2%
Dep Sheriff's Cadet	71	$29,990	$14k – $34k	▲ 45.6%
Detentions Information Assistant	69	$63,623	$55k – $66k	▲ 13.7%
Legal Support Assistant I	69	$47,405	$28k – $51k	▲ 7.7%
Senior Public Health Nurse	68	$130,275	$130k – $132k	▲ 6.5%
Information Technology Analyst	68	$116,447	$105k – $121k	▲ 8.7%
Land Use/Environ Planner III	68	$115,357	$85k – $124k	▲ 3.8%
Senior Cook	68	$66,328	$58k – $68k	▲ 5.1%
Legal Support Assistant III	67	$70,902	$66k – $73k	▲ 8.2%
Librarian I	67	$64,775	$27k – $81k	▲ 18.6%
Dep Public Defender IV	66	$187,003	$185k – $211k	▼ 5.6%
Respite Options	63	$4,728	$1k – $9k	▲ 21.8%
Assistant Engineer	61	$101,673	$92k – $112k	▲ 10.8%
Park Maintenance Worker	60	$50,638	$43k – $59k	▲ 6.5%
Supervisor Dep County Counsel	59	$231,359	$216k – $232k	new
Chief Departmental Operations	59	$146,378	$139k – $156k	▲ 3.9%
Epidemiologist II	59	$118,467	$118k – $119k	▲ 4.0%
Supervisor Office Assistant	59	$75,784	$71k – $78k	▲ 7.2%
Human Resources Analyst	57	$107,775	$102k – $118k	▲ 12.2%
Departmental Hr Officer	57	$103,355	$96k – $113k	▲ 11.0%
Staff Nurse	56	$120,249	$98k – $144k	▲ 2.8%
Appraiser II	56	$93,776	$89k – $96k	▲ 5.5%
Recordable Documents Specialist II	56	$74,357	$69k – $77k	▲ 10.6%
Sheriff's Records and Id Clerk II	56	$64,134	$55k – $69k	▲ 5.3%
Community Services Officer	56	$63,542	$58k – $65k	▲ 7.5%
Human Resources Assistant	56	$62,498	$54k – $67k	▲ 8.5%
Food Services Worker	55	$48,563	$32k – $50k	▲ 9.1%
Volunteer Firefighter	54	$3,936	$1k – $8k	▲ 20.6%
Library Technician II	53	$51,038	$45k – $58k	▲ 4.5%
Senior Agricultural/Standards Insp	52	$94,357	$80k – $95k	▲ 5.3%
Land Use/Environ Planner II	52	$92,400	$84k – $100k	▲ 14.4%
Housing Specialist II	52	$67,995	$65k – $72k	▲ 8.6%
Stock Clerk	52	$49,790	$42k – $54k	▲ 15.4%
Dep Sheriff Cadet-Detention/Cs	52	$6,294	$6k – $6k	▼ 44.8%
Sheriff's Lieutenant	50	$224,115	$208k – $239k	▲ 6.5%
Health Information Management Technician	49	$56,407	$53k – $62k	▲ 9.9%
Assessment Clerk	49	$54,152	$26k – $56k	▲ 11.7%
Chief Agency Operations	48	$161,430	$156k – $166k	▲ 8.1%
Mntl Health Case Management Clinician	47	$88,944	$73k – $89k	▲ 7.7%
Admin Secretary I	47	$57,283	$53k – $62k	▲ 13.5%
Protective Services Program Manager	46	$134,960	$127k – $142k	▲ 5.6%
Senior Accountant	46	$95,987	$89k – $104k	▲ 2.0%
Admin Secretary III	45	$73,548	$65k – $78k	▲ 4.8%
Property Assessment Specialist II	45	$67,615	$65k – $69k	▲ 5.1%
Community Hlh Program Specialist	44	$100,890	$85k – $105k	▲ 5.2%
Behavioral Health Program Coordinator	43	$144,672	$145k – $145k	▲ 6.8%
Dep Public Defender II	43	$111,842	$112k – $125k	▲ 4.4%
Correctional Counselor	43	$93,697	$83k – $101k	▲ 5.4%
Staff Accountant	43	$65,011	$59k – $71k	▲ 10.4%
Dep Public Defender V	42	$224,514	$224k – $236k	▲ 0.4%
Senior Departmental Hr Officer	42	$136,754	$126k – $138k	▲ 9.4%
Sheriff's Detentions Lvn	42	$87,909	$79k – $104k	▼ 0.5%
Healthcare Agency Housekeeper	42	$52,279	$30k – $55k	▲ 14.3%
Paralegal I	42	$50,036	$18k – $57k	▼ 6.1%
Dep Public Defender I	42	$43,726	$13k – $106k	▼ 24.9%
Public Health Nurse Supervisor	41	$147,749	$144k – $148k	▲ 6.5%
Retireeexmpclssfd-Jd Md Do Dvm	41	$55,915	$30k – $67k	▼ 1.8%
Sheriff's Det Mntl Health Clin	40	$143,139	$140k – $147k	▲ 3.1%
Civil Engineer	40	$140,014	$137k – $140k	▲ 5.1%
Public Defender Invest II	40	$105,644	$97k – $114k	▲ 8.9%
Environmental Health Specialist III	39	$114,373	$98k – $127k	▲ 4.6%
Senior IT Engineer	38	$142,981	$129k – $150k	▲ 5.9%
Insect Detection Specialist II	38	$55,874	$49k – $64k	▲ 10.4%
General Support Aide	38	$2,250	$1k – $4k	▲ 32.9%
Information Technology Specialist	37	$72,275	$47k – $85k	▲ 7.2%
Child and Fam Well-Bng Plcyanlst	36	$110,838	$110k – $112k	▲ 5.1%
Occupational/Phy Therapst	36	$109,947	$69k – $113k	new
Treasurer-Tax Collector Specialist	36	$53,605	$49k – $59k	▲ 9.2%
Senior Civil Engineer	35	$160,809	$160k – $161k	▲ 4.3%
Information Technology Princpl	35	$158,281	$141k – $165k	new
Legal Support Supervisor I	35	$77,669	$74k – $79k	▲ 5.3%
Criminal Legal Secretary II	35	$71,405	$67k – $74k	▲ 8.9%
Dep Director Departmental Operations	34	$172,102	$167k – $173k	▲ 5.5%
Project Manager	34	$140,118	$121k – $141k	▲ 3.8%
Social Work Supervisor	34	$99,271	$99k – $100k	▲ 6.4%
Library Technician III	34	$67,468	$59k – $71k	▲ 6.1%
Sheriff's Detentns Lieutenant	33	$209,891	$184k – $231k	new
Librarian II	33	$98,347	$94k – $100k	▲ 6.3%
Utilization Rev Qlty Imp Specialist	32	$131,070	$127k – $131k	new
Senior Data and Research Analyst	32	$110,851	$97k – $121k	▲ 11.1%
Probation Aide	32	$66,045	$61k – $66k	▲ 6.5%
Supervisor Nurse	31	$161,395	$154k – $186k	▲ 10.1%
Principal Accountant	31	$135,715	$125k – $143k	▲ 9.1%
Communicable Disease Investgr	31	$73,601	$67k – $81k	new
Senior Treasurer-Tax Collector Spc	31	$64,088	$61k – $70k	▲ 0.8%
Account Clerk	31	$46,046	$44k – $50k	▲ 11.5%
Student Worker - High School	31	$2,013	$1k – $6k	▼ 17.7%
IT Engineer	30	$112,630	$103k – $121k	▲ 6.6%
Dep District Attorney I	30	$102,239	$18k – $102k	▲ 412.3%
Legal Support Supervisor II	30	$83,020	$79k – $84k	▲ 4.3%
Human Services Control Specialist	30	$70,212	$66k – $79k	▲ 8.4%
Confidential Legal Secty	30	$59,085	$32k – $89k	new
Quality Assurance Specialist	29	$133,614	$133k – $135k	▲ 8.9%
Supervisor Environmental Health Specialist	29	$120,129	$113k – $126k	▲ 2.9%
Social Worker II	29	$78,770	$71k – $82k	▲ 8.7%
Behavioral Health Program Manager	28	$126,211	$126k – $127k	▲ 7.1%
Admin Secretary IV	28	$88,617	$78k – $90k	▲ 10.2%
Victim Advocate	27	$71,844	$60k – $86k	▼ 8.8%
Mntl Health Aide	27	$52,499	$31k – $65k	▲ 7.8%
Project Manager Public Works	26	$145,961	$128k – $155k	▲ 1.6%
Health Planning and Program Specialist	26	$119,389	$107k – $122k	▲ 3.5%
Legal Support Manager	26	$98,948	$89k – $105k	▲ 3.3%
Senior Equipment Operator	26	$86,234	$81k – $91k	▼ 0.9%
Residential Care Worker Supervisor	26	$81,487	$62k – $97k	▲ 11.3%
Community Hlh Promotion Spc II	26	$81,016	$74k – $84k	▲ 9.5%
Dist Attorney Investigator IV	25	$177,363	$166k – $182k	▲ 1.8%
Appraiser III	25	$106,155	$104k – $110k	▲ 4.6%
Licensed Vocational Nurse	25	$72,369	$63k – $78k	▼ 0.4%
Principal Dep County Counsel	24	$189,617	$162k – $198k	new
Assistant Medical Services Admin	24	$165,066	$159k – $165k	▲ 5.5%
Senior Occupational/Phy Therapst	24	$118,425	$61k – $121k	new
Adult Protective Services Supervisor	24	$115,629	$113k – $117k	▲ 5.1%
Road Crew Supervisor	24	$104,828	$99k – $107k	▲ 1.3%
Detention Processing Supervisor	24	$79,125	$78k – $83k	▲ 6.7%
Land Use/Environ Planning Manager	23	$143,104	$136k – $144k	▲ 6.2%
Senior Human Resources Analyst	23	$138,267	$133k – $143k	▲ 11.1%
Public Defender Invest III	23	$133,886	$134k – $135k	▲ 10.1%
Senior Adult Protective Services Specialist	23	$103,118	$101k – $106k	▲ 6.2%
Public Assistance Invest II	23	$101,752	$93k – $103k	▲ 6.1%
Master Fleet Technician	23	$88,773	$51k – $89k	▲ 5.8%
Equipment Operator Al	23	$80,897	$80k – $85k	▲ 5.3%
Storekeeper	23	$59,904	$58k – $61k	▲ 8.0%
Community Health Worker	23	$52,585	$50k – $58k	▲ 11.7%
Engineering Technician III	22	$97,325	$87k – $97k	▲ 4.0%
Supervisor Park Ranger	22	$91,271	$84k – $92k	▲ 6.3%
Confidential Paralegal	22	$65,477	$44k – $88k	▼ 11.0%
Environmental Health Technician	22	$53,743	$20k – $66k	▲ 3.2%
Criminalist II	21	$137,336	$117k – $142k	▲ 3.7%
Revenue and Recovery Officer	21	$71,390	$63k – $72k	▲ 3.6%
Environmental Health Specialist I	21	$69,001	$66k – $72k	▲ 5.5%
Laundry Worker	21	$50,705	$49k – $52k	▲ 3.0%
Sheriff's Emergency Services Disp Trainee	21	$23,731	$24k – $50k	new
Sheriff's Captain	20	$233,495	$220k – $237k	▲ 3.9%
Departmental Budget Manager	20	$137,024	$136k – $141k	▲ 5.3%
Senior Crime and Intelligence Analyst	20	$130,964	$118k – $138k	▲ 6.2%
Alcohol and Drug Program Specialist	20	$85,715	$82k – $92k	▲ 8.8%
Public Defender Invest I	20	$84,216	$74k – $86k	▲ 15.7%
Recreation Program Coordinator	20	$34,503	$9k – $47k	▲ 12.9%
Supervisor Child Support Officer	19	$89,589	$87k – $92k	▲ 9.8%
Environmental Health Specialist Tr	19	$45,004	$34k – $59k	▼ 2.9%
Lueg Program Manager	18	$173,716	$161k – $192k	▲ 8.8%
Procurement Contracting Officer	18	$115,101	$97k – $116k	▲ 10.2%
Librarian III	18	$113,399	$111k – $117k	▲ 5.4%
Building Maintenance Supervisor	18	$112,547	$105k – $120k	▲ 0.8%
Social Services Aide	18	$55,535	$51k – $58k	▲ 9.0%
Retiree Unclassified Management	18	$34,633	$14k – $47k	▲ 71.7%
Supervisor Sheriff's Emergency Services Disp	17	$119,704	$112k – $127k	new
Crime and Intelligence Analyst	17	$104,408	$91k – $110k	▲ 6.5%
Recordable Documents Specialist III	17	$89,622	$86k – $90k	▲ 7.7%
Library Technician IV	17	$80,139	$73k – $82k	▲ 6.9%
Temp Expert Profemp-Md Do Dvm	17	$79,654	$5k – $104k	▲ 126.2%
Senior Park Ranger	17	$77,803	$76k – $78k	▲ 5.4%
Sheriff's Property and Evidence Specii	17	$68,753	$57k – $70k	new
Pharmacy Technician	17	$66,013	$65k – $67k	▲ 12.3%
Sheriff's Certified Nurse Assistant	17	$65,024	$57k – $71k	▲ 3.8%
Senior Epidemiologist	16	$130,399	$130k – $132k	▲ 2.9%
Senior Real Property Agent	16	$107,289	$101k – $110k	▲ 13.1%
Paralegal Supervisor	16	$104,200	$102k – $106k	▲ 4.4%
Procurement Specialist	16	$74,978	$66k – $79k	▲ 6.7%
Code Enforcement Officer	16	$71,727	$70k – $83k	▲ 12.5%
Medical Claims Specialist	16	$66,687	$63k – $68k	▲ 5.2%
Crime Prevention Specialist	16	$65,082	$50k – $67k	▲ 5.8%
Board Assistant	16	$61,894	$50k – $69k	▲ 5.2%
Cook	16	$50,969	$48k – $53k	▲ 7.3%
Graduate Law Clerk	16	$9,583	$8k – $13k	▼ 24.1%
Assessment Appeals Board Member	16	$550	$1k – $1k	▲ 10.0%
Sheriff's Detentions Supvnurse	15	$182,321	$165k – $191k	new
Public Health Nurse Manager	15	$161,149	$159k – $161k	▲ 7.1%
Division Chief Probation	15	$159,544	$160k – $167k	▲ 4.5%
Senior Deputy County Counsel	15	$149,422	$82k – $154k	▼ 24.7%
Aging Program Specialist III	15	$105,688	$105k – $107k	▲ 6.5%
Food Services Supervisor	15	$71,290	$71k – $75k	▲ 6.0%
Mail Carrier	15	$46,895	$46k – $53k	▲ 1.3%
Agency Program and Operations Manager	14	$134,028	$129k – $144k	▲ 8.9%
Dep District Attorney II	14	$119,668	$119k – $120k	▲ 13.2%
Park Project Manager	14	$113,162	$110k – $113k	▲ 8.4%
Supervisor Agri/Standards Inspector	14	$110,864	$98k – $112k	▲ 4.1%
Staff Officer	14	$110,384	$96k – $124k	▲ 6.8%
Medical Examiner Invest II	14	$106,090	$102k – $108k	▲ 5.6%
Admissions Clerk	14	$51,407	$48k – $56k	▲ 18.3%
Animal Care Attendant	14	$39,087	$17k – $52k	▲ 19.8%
Laboratory Assistant	14	$27,308	$11k – $51k	▼ 35.6%
Peer Support Specialist	14	$22,411	$12k – $44k	▲ 31.8%
Trial Support Specialist	13	$106,814	$107k – $108k	▲ 6.5%
Public Health Microbiologist	13	$101,010	$83k – $102k	▲ 4.8%
Electrician	13	$91,476	$47k – $99k	▲ 2.3%
Criminal Legal Secretary III	13	$80,102	$77k – $81k	▲ 5.3%
Land Use/Environ Planner I	13	$75,919	$74k – $76k	▲ 15.7%
Senior Health Information Management Technician	13	$71,433	$69k – $73k	▲ 8.7%
Building Maintenance Eng Assistant	13	$62,482	$26k – $71k	▼ 1.6%
Child Support Program Attorney III	12	$182,341	$182k – $182k	▲ 3.9%
Certified Nurse Practitioner	12	$145,344	$88k – $151k	▲ 9.6%
Principal Data and Research Analyst	12	$138,512	$135k – $145k	▲ 12.8%
Senior Geographic Information Systems Analyst	12	$125,326	$91k – $126k	▲ 7.5%
Geographic Information Systems Analyst	12	$107,422	$103k – $108k	▲ 14.0%
Facilities Analyst	12	$102,634	$103k – $103k	▲ 4.5%
Electronic Security and Systems Technician	12	$100,829	$97k – $106k	▲ 6.2%
Staff Development Specialist	12	$89,940	$82k – $96k	▲ 14.3%
Property Assessment Specialist III	12	$82,008	$81k – $87k	▲ 0.2%
Senior Vector Control Technician	12	$81,247	$73k – $81k	▲ 5.7%
Health Information Specialist II	12	$75,556	$72k – $81k	▲ 2.4%
Agric Standards Inspector	12	$72,282	$65k – $75k	▲ 7.1%
Vector Control Technician	12	$65,584	$61k – $69k	▼ 2.3%
Land Use Technician II	12	$62,324	$58k – $65k	▲ 6.0%
Investigative Specialist	12	$61,965	$62k – $62k	▲ 6.7%
Retirement Member Service Associate	12	$48,333	$37k – $56k	▼ 0.7%
Assistant Director Departmental Operations	11	$177,461	$174k – $210k	▼ 7.6%
Supervisor IT Engineer	11	$172,715	$172k – $173k	▲ 4.1%
Pharmacist	11	$147,848	$76k – $173k	▼ 0.3%
Supervisor Occupational/Phy Therapst	11	$132,040	$132k – $133k	new
Sheriff's Program Coordinator	11	$123,166	$112k – $124k	▲ 4.9%
Appraiser IV	11	$116,217	$114k – $122k	▲ 3.2%
Workers' Compensation Adjuster	11	$112,203	$97k – $115k	▲ 12.6%
Criminalist I	11	$99,429	$96k – $101k	▲ 16.6%
Election Processing Supervisor	11	$78,395	$77k – $82k	▲ 4.8%
Sheriff's Det Mhcase Management Clin	11	$69,051	$54k – $100k	▼ 8.1%
Parks Recreational Supervisor	11	$68,967	$68k – $76k	▲ 2.3%
Recordable Documents Specialist I	11	$56,605	$54k – $60k	▲ 17.8%
Property Assessment Specialist I	11	$53,733	$51k – $60k	▲ 5.3%
Animal Control Officer	11	$44,850	$29k – $63k	▼ 14.6%
Vector Control Technician Aide	11	$29,907	$26k – $37k	▼ 1.1%
Sheriff's Commander	10	$253,813	$204k – $269k	▲ 3.3%
Technology Manager	10	$173,652	$166k – $181k	▲ 3.1%
Assistant Division Chief Assessor/R/Cc	10	$130,983	$88k – $138k	▲ 6.4%
Senior Clinical Psychologist	10	$127,722	$123k – $128k	▲ 7.8%
Supervisor Appraiser I	10	$126,738	$122k – $130k	▲ 3.9%
CAO Group Analyst	10	$115,435	$115k – $115k	▲ 15.1%
Senior Public Health Microbiologist	10	$112,139	$110k – $116k	▲ 6.3%
Housing Specialist III	10	$102,578	$89k – $104k	▲ 11.8%
Operations Research Analyst	10	$94,180	$90k – $97k	▲ 8.6%
Sheriff's Records and Id Supervisor	10	$89,914	$82k – $104k	▲ 9.6%
Recreational Therapist	10	$87,113	$45k – $90k	▲ 7.4%
Public Outreach Specialist	10	$79,561	$28k – $83k	▲ 10.2%
Dist Attorney Investigator II	10	$77,013	$64k – $79k	▲ 40.8%
Forensic Autopsy Specialist	10	$76,633	$73k – $78k	▲ 7.6%
Sheriff's Fingerprint Examiner	10	$75,678	$64k – $82k	▲ 14.2%
Retirement Member Service Specialist	10	$64,652	$59k – $68k	▲ 2.3%
Imaging Technician II	10	$60,628	$60k – $61k	▲ 4.5%
Cashier	10	$52,070	$48k – $56k	▲ 11.5%
Per Diem Comm Dispatcher II	10	$22,611	$16k – $25k	▼ 15.9%
Local Agency Formation Com Member	10	$2,384	$2k – $3k	▼ 6.7%
Division Chief I Assessor/Recd/Cc	9	$151,491	$139k – $152k	▲ 3.5%
Financial Policy and Plng Officer	9	$147,899	$145k – $149k	new
Child Support Manager	9	$125,091	$108k – $126k	▲ 11.9%
Emergency Medical Services Specialist	9	$110,016	$107k – $118k	▲ 3.1%
Staff Development Coordinator	9	$109,180	$108k – $118k	▲ 3.5%
Elections Manager	9	$103,711	$92k – $107k	▲ 9.1%
Airport Operations Coordinator	9	$91,989	$80k – $98k	▲ 16.9%
Retirement Member Service Senior Specialist	9	$88,860	$84k – $99k	▲ 8.3%
Senior Revenue and Recovery Officer	9	$82,882	$83k – $84k	▲ 4.3%
Special Investgr Citizn rvbd	9	$67,923	$22k – $105k	new
Jr Land Use/Environ Planner	9	$66,580	$51k – $67k	▲ 21.3%
Mntl Health Specialist	9	$63,700	$57k – $65k	▲ 17.9%
Health Information Management Clerk	9	$59,123	$50k – $60k	▲ 57.7%
Senior Custodian	9	$51,258	$49k – $55k	▼ 5.0%
Tep - Psychiatrist Specialist Assign	8	$391,805	$382k – $471k	▲ 5.9%
Chief Dep County Counsel	8	$255,739	$255k – $257k	▲ 4.2%
Medical Consultant	8	$247,911	$245k – $259k	▲ 3.6%
Dist Attorney Investigator V	8	$206,967	$199k – $212k	▲ 3.5%
Facilities Support Manager	8	$157,114	$149k – $160k	▲ 8.2%
Finance Officer	8	$150,432	$136k – $153k	▲ 4.0%
Manager Auditor and Controller	8	$146,520	$142k – $149k	▲ 6.0%
Supervisor Appraiser II	8	$137,440	$115k – $148k	▲ 1.7%
Senior Procurement Contracting Officer	8	$134,047	$127k – $135k	▲ 5.1%
Land Surveyor	8	$126,899	$122k – $127k	▲ 4.5%
Fire Prevention Specialist II	8	$111,815	$110k – $118k	▲ 19.7%
Senior Emergency Services Coordinator	8	$110,190	$96k – $121k	▼ 14.9%
Audit-Appraiser III	8	$107,390	$107k – $107k	▲ 3.4%
Telecommunications Technician II	8	$107,372	$100k – $114k	▲ 3.9%
Confidential Senior Paralegal	8	$102,992	$100k – $104k	▲ 6.8%
Building Inspector II	8	$102,330	$102k – $102k	▲ 8.1%
Air Conditioning and Refrig Mech	8	$98,602	$97k – $99k	new
Plumber	8	$95,741	$92k – $98k	▲ 4.4%
Multimedia Designer	8	$92,579	$93k – $93k	▲ 3.2%
Sheriff's Operations Supervisor	8	$82,714	$81k – $88k	▼ 2.0%
Building Maintenance Eng Al	8	$82,365	$76k – $84k	▲ 6.7%
Painter	8	$81,227	$80k – $82k	▲ 0.4%
Residential Childcare Specialist	8	$76,554	$69k – $84k	▲ 14.7%
Geographic Information Systems Technician	8	$73,478	$71k – $75k	▲ 27.5%
Medical Examiner Invest I	8	$70,840	$54k – $72k	▲ 163.2%
Senior Storekeeper	8	$68,089	$64k – $69k	▲ 7.2%
Sheriff's Prop and Evidence Specialist I	8	$64,020	$49k – $64k	▲ 9.2%
Mntl Health Case Management Assistant	8	$55,903	$55k – $59k	▲ 1.5%
Sheriff's Records and Id Clerk I	8	$44,127	$41k – $51k	▲ 19.8%
Planning Comm Appointive Member	8	$925	$1k – $1k	▼ 24.5%
Director Agency Operations	7	$214,941	$205k – $229k	▲ 11.1%
Sheriff's Detentions Captain	7	$201,884	$187k – $217k	▲ 2.4%
Human Resources Services Manager	7	$172,123	$172k – $178k	▲ 3.0%
Sheriff's Project Manager	7	$150,525	$146k – $155k	▲ 9.9%
Human Resources Manager	7	$147,145	$147k – $153k	▲ 6.1%
Supervisor Public Hlh Microbiologist	7	$126,204	$125k – $130k	▲ 6.3%
Retirement Analyst	7	$117,552	$113k – $120k	▲ 8.3%
Mitigation Specialist	7	$106,997	$103k – $107k	▲ 8.1%
Supervisor Correctional Counselor	7	$106,278	$104k – $110k	▲ 1.0%
Toxicologist II	7	$100,305	$98k – $121k	▲ 3.1%
Communications Specialist	7	$98,119	$87k – $99k	▲ 2.5%
Departmental Safety Coordinator	7	$95,119	$94k – $104k	▲ 34.6%
Epidemiologist I	7	$93,070	$92k – $97k	▲ 8.1%
Victim Witness Asstce Pgm Supervisor	7	$88,965	$88k – $96k	new
Senior Communicable Disease Invest	7	$87,924	$78k – $88k	▲ 4.3%
Engineering Technician II	7	$85,021	$85k – $85k	▲ 7.5%
Supervisor Animal Control Officer	7	$83,784	$63k – $103k	new
Senior Veteran Services Representative	7	$78,806	$72k – $83k	▲ 26.8%
Registered Veterinary Technician	7	$77,216	$76k – $81k	▲ 6.5%
Recycling Specialist II	7	$70,479	$65k – $81k	▼ 4.1%
Recreation Therapy Aide	7	$66,406	$66k – $70k	▲ 9.6%
Veterans Services Representative	7	$58,840	$57k – $65k	▲ 25.5%
Housing Aide	7	$56,841	$35k – $58k	▲ 12.2%
Land Use Technician I	7	$54,171	$42k – $58k	▲ 17.8%
Legislative Assistant I B/S	7	$52,707	$48k – $55k	▲ 62.4%
Animal Services Representative	7	$50,092	$50k – $52k	▲ 25.6%
Management Fellow	7	$41,138	$37k – $46k	▲ 29.9%
Road Maintenance Worker	7	$5,141	$5k – $28k	▼ 45.6%
Retirement Board Member	7	$1,000	$1k – $2k	▲ 66.7%
Civil Svce Commissn Member	7	$400	$0k – $1k	new
Chief Dep District Attorney	6	$294,204	$281k – $334k	▲ 3.2%
Dep Medical Examiner II	6	$291,302	$208k – $332k	▼ 0.6%
Public Health Medical Officer	6	$269,367	$268k – $279k	▲ 5.1%
Chief Dep Public Defender	6	$248,216	$247k – $249k	▲ 5.3%
County Supervisor	6	$233,107	$93k – $234k	▲ 0.5%
Dep Director Inpat/Resid Care Fac	6	$190,380	$139k – $216k	new
Chief of Staff B/S	6	$182,502	$144k – $220k	▲ 6.1%
Assistant Director of Nursing	6	$166,995	$47k – $169k	new
Sheriff's Det Cf Mntl Hlt Clin	6	$162,921	$159k – $166k	▲ 1.9%
Supervisor Criminalist	6	$158,797	$149k – $165k	▼ 1.3%
Criminalist III	6	$156,397	$147k – $169k	▲ 7.4%
Utilization Rev Qlty Imp Supervisor	6	$137,418	$137k – $137k	new
Senior Auditor	6	$127,721	$119k – $140k	▲ 3.6%
Senior Litigation Investigator	6	$123,697	$116k – $127k	▲ 13.9%
Public Assistance Invest Supervisor	6	$113,285	$112k – $114k	▲ 7.5%
Privacy Officer	6	$108,995	$105k – $129k	▼ 15.1%
Construction Engineer	6	$103,780	$81k – $119k	new
Dep County Counsel	6	$97,182	$75k – $109k	new
Program Specialist I	6	$95,219	$83k – $96k	new
Audit-Appraiser II	6	$94,269	$94k – $95k	▲ 4.4%
Housing Program Analyst II	6	$94,217	$89k – $102k	▲ 13.0%
Coordinator Volunteer and Public Services	6	$93,881	$81k – $101k	▲ 0.7%
Hhsa Contract Auditor	6	$93,377	$93k – $93k	▲ 33.3%
Associate Real Property Agent	6	$89,540	$82k – $96k	new
Forensic Evidence Technician	6	$89,066	$84k – $114k	▼ 0.4%
Senior Equipment Operator Al	6	$88,149	$86k – $91k	▲ 5.4%
Supervisor Treasurer-Tax Collect Spc	6	$78,586	$73k – $85k	▲ 1.1%
Senior Insect Detection Specialist	6	$77,967	$76k – $79k	▲ 13.8%
Workers' Compensation Specialist	6	$74,543	$70k – $80k	▲ 14.6%
Public Assistance Invest I	6	$74,510	$66k – $75k	new
Senior Assessment Clerk	6	$71,768	$70k – $72k	▲ 8.1%
Criminal Legal Secretary I	6	$65,190	$40k – $65k	▲ 9.7%
Fleet Technician	6	$64,152	$62k – $65k	▲ 24.7%
Facility Services Contract Specialist	6	$60,114	$27k – $76k	▼ 10.2%
Senior Laboratory Assistant	6	$57,251	$52k – $62k	new
Building Inspector I	6	$56,358	$47k – $74k	▼ 24.2%
Healthcare Agency Housekpr Al	6	$53,739	$51k – $56k	new
Office Assistant - Conf	6	$50,798	$49k – $53k	▲ 11.2%
Revenue and Recovery Officer Tr	6	$34,019	$13k – $53k	▼ 19.4%
Dep Director Public Works	5	$199,298	$174k – $207k	new
Clinical Pharmacist	5	$196,057	$183k – $205k	▲ 10.8%
Chief Dep Assess/Rec/Cnty Clerk	5	$187,725	$184k – $204k	new
Group Finance Director	5	$179,027	$178k – $181k	▲ 4.2%
Dep Chief Probation Officer	5	$177,443	$177k – $177k	▲ 6.5%
Dpw Unit Manager	5	$160,676	$159k – $162k	▲ 4.6%
Revenue and Budget Manager Hhsa	5	$157,755	$158k – $163k	new
Chief Departmental Admin Services	5	$157,294	$145k – $162k	▲ 6.3%
Erp System Administrator T	5	$151,002	$140k – $152k	▲ 4.5%
Dist Attorney Legal Opers Admin	5	$149,250	$149k – $157k	new
Inservice Education Coordinator	5	$148,212	$147k – $154k	▲ 6.4%
Dep Agric Comm and Sealer	5	$143,558	$143k – $144k	new
Psychiatrist - Specialist	5	$141,380	$47k – $178k	▼ 46.8%
Manager Treasurer-Tax Collect	5	$139,725	$136k – $155k	▲ 6.3%
Senior Park Project Manager	5	$138,848	$136k – $139k	new
Sheriff's Communications Coordinator	5	$138,829	$132k – $149k	new
Coordinator Emergency Medical Services	5	$136,875	$75k – $137k	new
Sheriff's Stand Compliance Manager	5	$132,614	$87k – $138k	new
Principal Librarian	5	$129,720	$127k – $139k	▲ 6.5%
Telecommunications Technician III	5	$120,409	$118k – $120k	▲ 5.8%
Program Manager General Services	5	$112,589	$105k – $130k	new
Senior Hhsa Contract Auditor	5	$111,860	$112k – $112k	▲ 4.7%
Sheriff's Helicopter/Air Mech	5	$111,802	$110k – $114k	▲ 4.1%
Latent Print Examiner	5	$111,261	$97k – $112k	▼ 1.6%
Building/Enforcement Supervisor	5	$109,115	$99k – $119k	new
Emergency Services Coordinator	5	$108,972	$96k – $115k	▼ 2.7%
Senior Auditor and Controller Acct	5	$107,630	$107k – $108k	▲ 4.8%
Permit Process Coordinator	5	$106,076	$102k – $112k	▼ 0.4%
Housing Program Analyst III	5	$106,018	$97k – $109k	▲ 7.8%
Section Chief Rev and Recovery	5	$105,861	$106k – $106k	▲ 4.7%
Ethics and Compliance Investigator	5	$101,445	$101k – $103k	▲ 8.7%
Supervisor Communicable Disease Inv	5	$96,384	$96k – $107k	▲ 3.8%
Supervisor Vector Control Technician	5	$93,036	$92k – $93k	▲ 6.7%
Housing Program Analyst IV	5	$90,578	$37k – $130k	▼ 28.1%
Nutritionist	5	$85,626	$14k – $95k	new
Auditor I	5	$84,484	$82k – $86k	▲ 12.6%
Land Use Technician III	5	$84,019	$82k – $96k	▲ 27.6%
Telecommunications Technician I	5	$81,164	$74k – $84k	▲ 22.6%
Housing Program Analyst I	5	$77,711	$77k – $78k	▲ 298.1%
Pest Management Technician II	5	$77,194	$74k – $79k	▲ 4.6%
Sheriff's Range Guard	5	$76,427	$75k – $78k	▲ 13.4%
Shuttle Bus Driver	5	$65,196	$59k – $67k	new
Animal Services Dispatcher	5	$61,830	$58k – $62k	▲ 17.7%
Toxicologist I	5	$56,275	$51k – $66k	new
Sheriff's Licensing Clerk II	5	$47,294	$43k – $49k	new
Insect Detection Specialist I	5	$18,226	$15k – $19k	new

Skip to pay ranges ↓

How many people earn what

Under $10k1,757
$10k – $30k1,496
$30k – $50k1,884
$50k – $70k4,049
$70k – $90k3,270
$90k – $110k3,629
$110k – $150k3,831
$150k or more2,887

Includes part-time and seasonal workers, which is why many earn under $10k.

Pay by department

Department	People	Typical pay
Health & Human Serv Agcy	8,714	$75,905
Sheriff	4,819	$112,106
District Attorney	1,249	$92,538
Probation Department	1,172	$95,219
Public Defender	628	$107,045
Registrar of Voters	611	$4,223
Parks & Recreation Dept	526	$44,973
Assessor/recorder/cty Clk	493	$74,504
Public Works, Dept Of, Road	485	$86,160
Library, County	483	$46,697
Dept of Child Support	413	$77,826
Facilities Management	389	$87,433

Common questions

How much does a San Diego County employee make?

The typical employee was paid $82,877 in 2025: half of the 22,803 people paid earned more, half earned less. Most earned between $52,478 and $117,585.

Why do so many people earn very little?

The list includes everyone who got a paycheck during the year: part-time, seasonal and short-term workers, and people who joined or left partway through. 1,757 people (7.7%) were paid under $10,000.

Does this include benefits like health insurance or pension?

No. It is the pay people received: regular salary or wages (89.5% of all pay), overtime (7.2%) and extra pay such as allowances, longevity and severance (3.3%).

Where does this data come from, and when is it updated?

From California State Controller's Office (Government Compensation in California) (sco.ca.gov). Our figures match the agency's latest release; the next update is expected in late 2027.

"Typical pay" is the median: half earn more, half earn less. "Most earn" is the middle half of workers. Figures are calculated by PublicPayData from the official dataset; 0 records with $0 or negative pay are left out. How we calculate this · Corrections & removals