Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance Salary in San Francisco, CA

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn a median $58,610 a year — 16% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $46,945 take-home, or $3,912 a month.

Median salary
$58,610
$28.18 per hour
Typical range
$45,430 – $93,530
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in San Francisco, CA
3,010
0.97× national concentration
▲1.7%
Pay trend: The median for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance in San Francisco, CA rose from $57,630 (May 2024) to $58,610 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 0.7%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance salary in San Francisco, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance in San Francisco, CA
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$46,945
per year · effective tax rate 19.9%
$3,912Monthly
$1,956Twice a month
$1,806Every 2 weeks
$22.57Hourly
  • Federal income tax$4,853
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,634
  • Medicare (1.45%)$850
  • California income tax$1,566
  • CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$762
  • Take-home pay$46,945

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 6.00% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance pay by experience in San Francisco, CA

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$45,430$21.84$37,286$3,107
25th percentile$49,250$23.68$40,108$3,342
Median (50th)$58,610$28.18$46,945$3,912
75th percentile$71,620$34.43$55,766$4,647
90th percentile (top earners)$93,530$44.97$68,944$5,745

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, California resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $58,610 buys in San Francisco, CA

Prices in San Francisco, CA are 15.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.95× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance's $46,945 take-home pay has the buying power of $40,605 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$2,620
67% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$3,187
81% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,292
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance jobs are about as common in San Francisco, CA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.97).

Best-paying cities for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance, adjusted for cost of living

San Francisco, CA ranks #7 of 13 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Seattle, WA $59,340$49,860$44,865
2Washington, DC $57,160$45,839$42,099
3Houston, TX $48,550$41,190$41,762
4Boston, MA $56,560$45,018$41,581
5New York, NY $58,180$46,383$41,206
6Philadelphia, PA $51,170$41,724$40,685
7San Francisco, CA $58,610$46,945$40,605
8Riverside, CA $52,000$42,117$39,568

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 13 metros →

About the job: dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

Schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.

Typical education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-0.7% (slower than average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance salaries elsewhere in California

Frequently asked questions

How much does a dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance make in San Francisco, CA?

The median dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance salary in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is $58,610 a year, or about $28.18 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $49,250 and $71,620.

What is a dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance’s take-home pay in San Francisco, CA?

On the median $58,610 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $46,945 a year ($3,912 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,328 in California taxes in 2026.

Is San Francisco, CA a good place to work as a dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance?

Pay here is 16% above the national median of $50,340. Local prices are 15.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $40,605 would in a typical U.S. city. San Francisco, CA ranks #7 of 13 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance afford rent in San Francisco, CA?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Francisco, CA is $2,620 a month ($3,187 for two bedrooms) — 67% of a median dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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