Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary in California
The median for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in California is $44,710 a year, somewhat above the national $40,240 (+11%); the state ranks 8th of 51 states by median. That is 23% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). Among neighbouring states, Oregon pays more (up to $44,750 in Oregon) and Arizona and Nevada pay less (down to $39,350 in Nevada). California employs 355,500 laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, 19.5 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.03 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.34 | $18.21 | $21.50 | $23.53 | $27.74 | $21.92 | 355,500 | 19.52 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $36,060 | $37,890 | $44,710 | $48,950 | $57,700 | $45,590 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $15.03 | $17.35 | $19.35 | $22.56 | $26.51 | $20.32 | 2,950,280 | – | – |
| Annual | $31,270 | $36,090 | $40,240 | $46,920 | $55,140 | $42,260 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 8th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.03
- Jobs per 1,000
- 19.52
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $23.28 | $48,420 | $35,360 | $59,840 | 790 | 16.10 | 0.85 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $23.27 | $48,400 | $40,620 | $64,900 | 30,710 | 12.94 | 0.68 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $22.75 | $47,330 | $37,080 | $57,900 | 15,030 | 51.87 | 2.73 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $22.63 | $47,060 | $39,710 | $66,060 | 11,830 | 10.42 | 0.55 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $22.55 | $46,890 | $34,490 | $54,990 | 8,440 | 24.95 | 1.31 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $22.42 | $46,640 | $36,840 | $60,100 | 2,810 | 13.68 | 0.72 |
| Modesto, CA | $22.42 | $46,630 | $36,330 | $62,240 | 4,810 | 24.63 | 1.30 |
| Napa, CA | $22.23 | $46,230 | $37,630 | $62,150 | 1,020 | 13.12 | 0.69 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $22.15 | $46,060 | $36,230 | $57,110 | 69,820 | 40.67 | 2.14 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $22.08 | $45,930 | $36,650 | $57,930 | 18,560 | 17.18 | 0.91 |
| Vallejo, CA | $21.95 | $45,660 | $37,180 | $60,160 | 2,520 | 17.52 | 0.92 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $21.18 | $44,050 | $36,300 | $57,450 | 860 | 8.77 | 0.46 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $20.83 | $43,320 | $36,420 | $57,980 | 21,950 | 14.27 | 0.75 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $20.46 | $42,560 | $35,830 | $59,610 | 2,100 | 10.48 | 0.55 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $20.38 | $42,390 | $35,890 | $56,740 | 120,720 | 19.25 | 1.01 |
| Yuba City, CA | $20.22 | $42,050 | $34,900 | $53,970 | 650 | 12.74 | 0.67 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $20.16 | $41,920 | $35,410 | $56,880 | 5,600 | 17.30 | 0.91 |
| Merced, CA | $20.14 | $41,890 | $34,320 | $58,880 | 1,130 | 14.25 | 0.75 |
| Chico, CA | $19.75 | $41,080 | $35,190 | $51,290 | 990 | 12.69 | 0.67 |
| Visalia, CA | $19.21 | $39,960 | $34,320 | $54,790 | 4,070 | 23.77 | 1.25 |
| Fresno, CA | $18.90 | $39,310 | $34,320 | $49,900 | 8,050 | 16.87 | 0.89 |
| Salinas, CA | $18.81 | $39,110 | $36,080 | $49,050 | 3,890 | 20.87 | 1.10 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $18.62 | $38,730 | $35,960 | $50,450 | 1,360 | 11.17 | 0.59 |
| Redding, CA | $18.09 | $37,620 | $35,110 | $48,690 | 1,220 | 17.07 | 0.90 |
| El Centro, CA | $17.96 | $37,350 | $34,740 | $48,100 | 930 | 14.19 | 0.75 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $21.49 | $44,710 | $36,480 | $57,030 | 1,180 | 11.26 | 0.59 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.80 | $43,250 | $35,440 | $57,590 | 410 | 6.49 | 0.34 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.55 | $42,740 | $35,460 | $52,650 | 1,050 | 9.61 | 0.51 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.