Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
25 metro areas in California publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 339,860 jobs. The three largest employers of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand are Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (120,720 jobs), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (69,820 jobs), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (30,710 jobs), which hold 65.1% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $37,350 to $48,420 a year, against $44,710 for the whole state and $40,240 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $40,240 a year for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $31,270 and the highest-paid tenth over $55,140). Employment is projected to change by +1.8% between 2025 and 2035, with about 340,500 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in California: the highest median pay is in the Hanford-Corcoran, CA area ($48,420 a year); the most jobs are in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (120,720). Statewide the median is $44,710 with 355,500 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 790 | $48,420 | $35,360 | $59,840 | 0.85 | n/a | n/a |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 30,710 | $48,400 | $40,620 | $64,900 | 0.68 | 61% | 115.6 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 15,030 | $47,330 | $37,080 | $57,900 | 2.73 | 44% | 105.1 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 11,830 | $47,060 | $39,710 | $66,060 | 0.55 | 72% | 110.4 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 8,440 | $46,890 | $34,490 | $54,990 | 1.31 | 33% | 100.9 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 2,810 | $46,640 | $36,840 | $60,100 | 0.72 | 56% | 107.8 |
| Modesto, CA | 4,810 | $46,630 | $36,330 | $62,240 | 1.30 | 42% | 104.1 |
| Napa, CA | 1,020 | $46,230 | $37,630 | $62,150 | 0.69 | 58% | 112.6 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 69,820 | $46,060 | $36,230 | $57,110 | 2.14 | 48% | 106.4 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 18,560 | $45,930 | $36,650 | $57,930 | 0.91 | 48% | 106.7 |
| Vallejo, CA | 2,520 | $45,660 | $37,180 | $60,160 | 0.92 | 57% | 108.5 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 860 | $44,050 | $36,300 | $57,450 | 0.46 | n/a | n/a |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 21,950 | $43,320 | $36,420 | $57,980 | 0.75 | 62% | 111.9 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 2,100 | $42,560 | $35,830 | $59,610 | 0.55 | 60% | 108.8 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 120,720 | $42,390 | $35,890 | $56,740 | 1.01 | 58% | 113.6 |
| Yuba City, CA | 650 | $42,050 | $34,900 | $53,970 | 0.67 | n/a | n/a |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 5,600 | $41,920 | $35,410 | $56,880 | 0.91 | 66% | 110.5 |
| Merced, CA | 1,130 | $41,890 | $34,320 | $58,880 | 0.75 | 38% | 98.3 |
| Chico, CA | 990 | $41,080 | $35,190 | $51,290 | 0.67 | 41% | 101.2 |
| Visalia, CA | 4,070 | $39,960 | $34,320 | $54,790 | 1.25 | 38% | 99.8 |
| Fresno, CA | 8,050 | $39,310 | $34,320 | $49,900 | 0.89 | 42% | 102.2 |
| Salinas, CA | 3,890 | $39,110 | $36,080 | $49,050 | 1.10 | 63% | 109.0 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 1,360 | $38,730 | $35,960 | $50,450 | 0.59 | n/a | n/a |
| Redding, CA | 1,220 | $37,620 | $35,110 | $48,690 | 0.90 | 42% | 100.7 |
| El Centro, CA | 930 | $37,350 | $34,740 | $48,100 | 0.75 | n/a | n/a |
National page: Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand →Cities of California
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Hanford-Corcoran, CA area, with a median of $48,420 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, with 120,720 jobs.