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

Packers and Packagers, Hand Salary in San Diego, CA

Packers and Packagers, Hand in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median $36,890 a year — 2% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $30,877 take-home, or $2,573 a month.

Median salary
$36,890
$17.74 per hour
Typical range
$34,910 – $46,450
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in San Diego, CA
5,470
0.99× national concentration
▲1.1%
Pay trend: The median for packers and packagers, hand in San Diego, CA rose from $36,500 (May 2024) to $36,890 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 1.3%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median packers and packagers, hand salary in San Diego, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Packers and Packagers, Hand in San Diego, CA
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$30,877
per year · effective tax rate 16.3%
$2,573Monthly
$1,287Twice a month
$1,188Every 2 weeks
$14.84Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,247
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,287
  • Medicare (1.45%)$535
  • California income tax$465
  • CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$480
  • Take-home pay$30,877

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.00% state

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

Packers and Packagers, Hand pay by experience in San Diego, CA

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$34,910$16.78$29,391$2,449
25th percentile$35,550$17.09$29,871$2,489
Median (50th)$36,890$17.74$30,877$2,573
75th percentile$40,300$19.38$33,436$2,786
90th percentile (top earners)$46,450$22.33$38,051$3,171

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

What $36,890 buys in San Diego, CA

Prices in San Diego, CA are 11.9% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.79× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median packers and packagers, hand's $30,877 take-home pay has the buying power of $27,596 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$2,459
96% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$3,001
117% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$114
per month for everything else

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

Packers and Packagers, Hand jobs are about as common in San Diego, CA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.99).

Best-paying cities for packers and packagers, hand, adjusted for cost of living

San Diego, CA ranks #39 of 47 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Kansas City, MO $44,460$36,751$39,713
2Philadelphia, PA $43,970$36,160$35,259
3Cleveland, OH $37,440$32,016$34,087
4Columbus, OH $38,090$32,520$34,064
5Seattle, WA $44,010$37,542$33,781
6Memphis, TN $35,630$30,809$33,423
7St. Louis, MO $37,280$31,320$32,938
8Cincinnati, OH $36,650$31,403$32,927
39San Diego, CA$36,890$30,877$27,596

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 47 metros →

About the job: packers and packagers, hand

Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.

Typical education
No formal educational credential
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-5.0% (declining)

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

Packers and Packagers, Hand salaries elsewhere in California

Frequently asked questions

How much does a packers and packagers, hand make in San Diego, CA?

The median packers and packagers, hand salary in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area is $36,890 a year, or about $17.74 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $35,550 and $40,300.

What is a packers and packagers, hand’s take-home pay in San Diego, CA?

On the median $36,890 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $30,877 a year ($2,573 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $945 in California taxes in 2026.

Is San Diego, CA a good place to work as a packers and packagers, hand?

Pay here is 2% above the national median of $36,280. Local prices are 11.9% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $27,596 would in a typical U.S. city. San Diego, CA ranks #39 of 47 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a packers and packagers, hand afford rent in San Diego, CA?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Diego, CA is $2,459 a month ($3,001 for two bedrooms) — 96% of a median packers and packagers, hand’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

Related jobs in San Diego, CA

Cost of living & all salaries in San Diego, CA →