Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for refuse and recyclable material collectors in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of refuse and recyclable material collectors among California metropolitan areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$36,200
25th Percentile Wage
$45,590
50th Percentile Wage
$57,660
75th Percentile Wage
$64,580
90th Percentile Wage
$82,330

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for refuse and recyclable material collectors in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $82,330. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $57,660. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $36,200.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of refuse and recyclable material collectors from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$57,660
-2.98% 27.82%
2021
$59,380
6.60% -
2020
$55,460
1.21% -
2019
$54,790
5.82% -
2018
$51,600
2.19% -
2017
$50,470
4.79% -
2016
$48,050
4.16% -
2015
$46,050
7.21% -
2014
$42,730
6.81% -
2013
$39,820
-4.52% -
2012
$41,620
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of refuse and recyclable material collectors in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of refuse and recyclable material collectors in state of California ranges from $20,820 to $70,640. The highest paying area for refuse and recyclable material collectors in California is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont with a median annual salary of $70,640. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $64,510). The lowest paying area is North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $20,820.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$70,640
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$64,510
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$63,920
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$61,870
Napa
$61,850
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$60,920
Salinas
$60,010
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$58,090
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$57,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$57,280
Vallejo-Fairfield
$56,540
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$55,920
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$55,160
Merced
$55,090
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$54,650
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$53,990
Hanford-Corcoran
$53,350
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$52,980
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$52,430
Stockton
$52,370
Bakersfield-Delano
$50,930
Visalia-Porterville
$50,810
Modesto
$49,140
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$48,200
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$48,120
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$47,920
Madera-Chowchilla
$47,120
Fresno
$46,610
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$45,930
El Centro
$45,810
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$43,640
Chico
$41,720
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$40,790
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$38,780
Redding
$35,920
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$35,130
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$20,820