High paying transportation jobs in California

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in California. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single transportation job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in California run 10.7% above the national average (2024), so a California salary is worth about 0.90× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in California.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find transportation jobs in California

OccupationMedian, California · Employed

1Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$353,900
Bachelor's degree
$179,270 – $427,66010,670
2Flight Attendants$82,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,130 – $129,29015,840
3Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$67,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,600 – $90,81024,380
4First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$65,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,700 – $98,70067,920
5Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$64,890
No formal educational credential
$45,970 – $90,37013,930
6Bus Drivers, School$61,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,870 – $73,68016,600
7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$60,230
Postsecondary nondegree award
$41,830 – $81,960205,090
8Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$47,770
No formal educational credential
$38,650 – $63,33089,620
9Light Truck Drivers$46,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,750 – $93,280111,950
10Driver/Sales Workers$45,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,320 – $63,28034,480
11Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$44,730
No formal educational credential
$35,240 – $61,75029,940
12Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$44,710
No formal educational credential
$36,060 – $57,700355,500
13Stockers and Order Fillers$42,870
No formal educational credential
$35,910 – $54,820310,870
14Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$41,770
No formal educational credential
$36,360 – $50,20010,190
15Material Moving Workers, All Other$38,410
No formal educational credential
$35,740 – $50,2709,120
16Parking Attendants$38,060
No formal educational credential
$35,760 – $50,28021,290
17Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$37,920
No formal educational credential
$34,890 – $49,09046,030
18Packers and Packagers, Hand$37,260
No formal educational credential
$34,360 – $48,33079,730

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianCalifornia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersBachelor's degree	$353,900	$179,270 – $427,660	10,670
2	Flight AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,170	$48,130 – $129,290	15,840
3	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,130	$48,600 – $90,810	24,380
4	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,550	$45,700 – $98,700	67,920
5	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$64,890	$45,970 – $90,370	13,930
6	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,040	$45,870 – $73,680	16,600
7	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$60,230	$41,830 – $81,960	205,090
8	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$47,770	$38,650 – $63,330	89,620
9	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,790	$36,750 – $93,280	111,950
10	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,600	$34,320 – $63,280	34,480
11	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$44,730	$35,240 – $61,750	29,940
12	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$44,710	$36,060 – $57,700	355,500
13	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$42,870	$35,910 – $54,820	310,870
14	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$41,770	$36,360 – $50,200	10,190
15	Material Moving Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$38,410	$35,740 – $50,270	9,120
16	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$38,060	$35,760 – $50,280	21,290
17	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$37,920	$34,890 – $49,090	46,030
18	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$37,260	$34,360 – $48,330	79,730

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in California. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for California

Metro areas in California

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in California

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in California to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in California

More for California

Metro areas in California

By field in California

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state