Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $43,320 a year ($20.83 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $37,740 and $47,550 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,420 or less and the top 10 percent earn $57,980 or more. BLS estimates 21,950 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 14.268 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.75 (below the national concentration). That is 0.7% of all Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand employment in the United States (2,950,280 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #21 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand. In aggregate, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.97 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $36,456.22 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is about $0.80 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand. By employment, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is the #9 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $43,320 falls between the national median ($40,240) and the national 75th percentile ($46,920). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay is 26.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.28 | $44,270 |
| 10th percentile | $17.51 | $36,420 |
| 25th percentile | $18.14 | $37,740 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.83 | $43,320 |
| 75th percentile | $22.86 | $47,550 |
| 90th percentile | $27.88 | $57,980 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($57,980 against $36,420). The middle half spans $9,810 — from $37,740 to $47,550. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($27.88) is 1.59 times the 10th ($17.51). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $47,550 takes home $38,918.00 and the 90th percentile wage of $57,980 takes home $46,561.32 — $7,643.32 more net for $10,430 more gross. Against the median take-home of $35,743.34, the top decile keeps 1.30 times as much. The mean wage of $44,270 sits 2.2% above the median: higher-paid Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand ranks #22 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $46,440 and Fast Food and Counter Workers at $42,190. Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 49,211 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $43,320.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,018.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,685.84 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $628.14 |
| California income tax | $681.10 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $563.16 |
| Total deductions | $7,576.66 |
| Net pay (annual) | $35,743.34 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,374.74 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.49% of gross |
At the median, $35,743.34 of the $43,320 gross is kept ($1,374.74 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.49%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.08% at the 10th percentile, 16.39% at the 25th percentile, 18.15% at the 75th percentile, 19.69% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,362.62 on a gross rise of $9,810.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,420) | $30,564.80 | $1,175.57 | 16.08% |
| 25th percentile ($37,740) | $31,555.38 | $1,213.67 | 16.39% |
| Median ($43,320) | $35,743.34 | $1,374.74 | 17.49% |
| 75th percentile ($47,550) | $38,918.00 | $1,496.85 | 18.15% |
| 90th percentile ($57,980) | $46,561.32 | $1,790.82 | 19.69% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,564.80 a year at the 10th percentile to $46,561.32 at the 90th — a spread of $15,996.52 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand median take-home of $35,743.34 sits $11,336.62 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand earns $40,240 a year ($19.35 an hour). The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $43,320 is $3,080 (7.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $44,270 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $42,260 nationally, a gap of $2,010 (4.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 90th percentile of $57,980 is 38% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $36,420 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $43,320 | $20.83 | $44,270 |
| United States | $40,240 | $19.35 | $42,260 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$43,320 a year ($20.83 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $44,270 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $43,320 in California?
About $35,743.34 a year ($1,374.74 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.49% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $47,550, take-home is $38,918.00.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $43,320 is $3,080 (7.7%) above the national median of $40,240 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $57,980, against a national 90th percentile of $55,140.
How much do the top 10% of Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$57,980 a year or more ($27.88 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $57,980 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $46,561.32 a year ($1,790.82 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.69%.
How many Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 21,950 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 14.268 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.75 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $30,564.80 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,420) to $46,561.32 at the 90th ($57,980), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.97 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 21,950 multiplied by the mean wage of $44,270.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.