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California Department of Consumer Affairs entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
California Department of Consumer Affairs starts at $76,068 a year — about $36.57 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $9,383 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $10,902 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $68,703 somewhere at average prices — $7,365 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 159 against a national average of 100, where goods are 106. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
What California Department of Consumer Affairs says about itself
The Division of Investigation is the State of California's law enforcement branch for consumer protection, and its mission is to provide law enforcement investigative services, in order to protect California consumers and licensees by effectively and efficiently enforcing laws, regulations, and professional standards. It was established by the Legislature in 1961 to provide centralised investigative services for the various regulatory boards, bureaus, programmes, committees, and commissions within the Department of Consumer Affairs, and section 830.3(a) of the California Penal Code designates its investigators as sworn peace officers, who perform a full range of peace officer duties and responsibilities. Its values are integrity, service and excellence, and its work covers prescription and medical narcotics enforcement, the illegal practice of medicine, wrongful death, patient abuse, identity theft, sexual misconduct, unlicensed activity, false advertising, incompetence, fraud, the underground economy and assault, conducted through intelligence gathering, sting and undercover operations, search warrants and subpoenas, arrests, and computer forensic analysis.
What California Department of Consumer Affairs does
DCA Division of Investigation peace officers conduct administrative, civil and criminal investigations involving licensed professions, unlicensed activity, misconduct, internal matters and other violations under the jurisdiction of California consumer-protection boards and bureaus.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. California CalCareers — DCA Investigator, JC-517034 and Field Investigator JC-506124 — open the source document
$76,068. Current 2026 recruitments; JC-517034 remains until filled
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
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How this level compares
Where California Department of Consumer Affairs sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. California Department of Consumer Affairs starts at $76,068, so $10,902 above the state middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a California Department of Consumer Affairs officer make?
California Department of Consumer Affairs starts a new officer on $76,068 a year, about $36.57 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from California CalCareers — DCA Investigator, JC-517034 and Field Investigator JC-506124.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #238 of 278 agencies we have verified in California — 40 pay less, 237 pay more in the state — and #616 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $9,383 above, and against other state agencies $10,902 above.
Compare with another department
Put California Department of Consumer Affairs side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs California | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$87,551 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$73,375 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$71,874 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$67,935 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$67,028 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$64,956 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$63,672 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$62,897 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$62,193 | #9 |
| 10 | Los Gatos Police Department | Municipal | 34 | $132,394 | +$56,326 | #10 |
| 11 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$56,195 | #11 |
| 12 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$55,968 | #12 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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