Costa Mesa 911 dispatcher salary, 2025
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County. 21 people worked as 911 dispatchers for Costa Mesa in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $182,580, overtime included.
What is the average 911 dispatcher salary at Costa Mesa?
Official pay range1
$73,932 to $143,496
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest 911 dispatcher title
Based on the 15 of 21 911 dispatchers who worked the full year.
Most of Costa Mesa's 911 dispatchers (11 of 21) hold the title Sr Public Safety Dispatcher, with an official range of $79,452 to $106,476. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $171,617, $65,141 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $180,477
- the middle 911 dispatcher: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $47,651
- average per full-year 911 dispatcher
- Starting salary
- $73,932
- bottom of the Public Safety Dispatcher range
- Average pay rank
- 14th
- of 236 California employers
What does each 911 dispatcher title at Costa Mesa pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- Public Safety DispatcherFewer than 5
- Sr Public Safety Dispatcher$171,617
- Public Safety Dispatch SupervisorFewer than 5
- Sr Communications SupervisorFewer than 5
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Does Costa Mesa pay 911 dispatchers more than other employers in Orange County?
Average total pay of full-year 911 dispatchers: Costa Mesa next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Costa Mesa$182,580
- All employers in Orange County$137,560
- All employers in California$126,606
Full-year 911 dispatchers at Costa Mesa earned $45,020 more than the Orange County average and $55,974 more than the California average.
Average 911 dispatcher pay in Orange County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year 911 dispatchers across all employers in each county that borders Orange County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Los Angeles County$121,075 average, 38 employers$16,485 less than Orange County
- San Diego County$119,104 average, 13 employers$18,456 less than Orange County
- Riverside County$116,888 average, 10 employers$20,672 less than Orange County
- San Bernardino County$111,808 average, 11 employers$25,752 less than Orange County
Where does Costa Mesa rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year 911 dispatchers, by average total pay.1
All 236 California employers
Costa Mesa ranks 14th of 236, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $117,931
The 18 employers in Orange County
Costa Mesa ranks 2nd of 18, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $131,978
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at Costa Mesa
As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year 911 dispatcher, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 2% at 62
- the most common formula among Costa Mesa's 911 dispatchers
- Employer pension contribution
- $10,393
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $10,921
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about 911 dispatcher pay at Costa Mesa
What is the average 911 dispatcher salary at Costa Mesa?
911 dispatchers at Costa Mesa who worked the full year earned an average of $182,580 in 2025, overtime included. The middle 911 dispatcher earned $180,477: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its 911 dispatcher titles runs from $73,932 to $143,496.
How much overtime do 911 dispatchers at Costa Mesa earn?
Full-year 911 dispatchers were paid an average of $47,651 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $45,024: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What pension do 911 dispatchers at Costa Mesa get?
The most common pension formula among Costa Mesa's 911 dispatchers is 2% at 62, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $10,393 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Orange County
- Orange County Fire Authority$196,274 average total pay
- Laguna Beach$157,114 average total pay
- Irvine$154,484 average total pay
- Huntington Beach$149,045 average total pay
- Newport Beach$148,544 average total pay
- Buena Park$146,979 average total pay
- Highest 911 dispatcher salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Police officer salaries at Costa Mesa$178,948 average total pay
- Firefighter salaries at Costa Mesa$205,433 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Orange CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Costa Mesa figures
Every person who held a 911 dispatcher position at Costa Mesa at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Costa Mesa.