San Diego 911 dispatcher salary, 2025

San Diego is a city in San Diego County. 250 people worked as 911 dispatchers for San Diego in 2025. Those who worked the full year took home a median of $121,799, overtime included.

Official pay range1

$59,197 to $114,858

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest 911 dispatcher title

Median take-home, full-year 911 dispatchers1

$121,799

median base $81,462 · median overtime $10,742

The largest group of San Diego's 911 dispatchers (87 of 250) hold the title Police 911 Dispatcher, with an official range of $65,104 to $78,603. Those who worked the full year took home a median of $105,050, $26,447 above the top of the range.

911 dispatchers
250
192 of them worked the full year
Median overtime
$10,742
per full-year 911 dispatcher
Pension formula
1% at 55
employer pays a median $11,370 a year
Health, dental and vision
$9,434
median paid by the employer per year

What does each 911 dispatcher title at San Diego pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks what full-year staff in that title took home (median), where at least 5 people stand behind it.1

  1. Dispatcher I$59,197 to $71,365 · 13 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Dispatcher II$65,104 to $78,603 · 10 people
    $132,588
  3. Police 911 Dispatcher$65,104 to $78,603 · 87 people
    $105,050
  4. Fire Dispatcher$71,698 to $86,674 · 47 people
    $125,322
  5. Police Dispatcher$78,686 to $94,869 · 50 people
    $122,097
  6. Fire Lead Dispatcher$78,874 to $95,347 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  7. Police Lead Dispatcher$86,549 to $104,395 · 14 people
    $134,692
  8. Fire Dispatch Supervisor$86,882 to $104,874 · 11 people
    $149,805
  9. Police Dispatch Supervisor$95,222 to $114,858 · 16 people
    $153,640

official range median take-home, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Does San Diego pay 911 dispatchers more than other employers in San Diego County?

Median take-home of full-year 911 dispatchers: San Diego next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year 911 dispatchers at San Diego took home $7,969 more than the San Diego County median and $891 more than the California median.

Questions about 911 dispatcher pay at San Diego

How much does a 911 dispatcher make at San Diego?

911 dispatchers at San Diego who worked the full year took home a median of $121,799 in 2025, including overtime. The official pay range across its 911 dispatcher titles runs from $59,197 to $114,858.

How much overtime do 911 dispatchers at San Diego earn?

The median full-year 911 dispatcher was paid $10,742 in overtime in 2025, on top of a median base pay of $81,462.

What pension do 911 dispatchers at San Diego get?

The most common pension formula among San Diego's 911 dispatchers is 1% at 55, as reported by the city. The employer paid a median $11,370 a year into the pension plan.

More public pay in San Diego County

Sources for the San Diego figures

Every person who held a 911 dispatcher position at San Diego 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. Take-home is total wages, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Medians don't add up: the median base plus the median overtime isn't the median total. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by San Diego.

How we read the data