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California Department of Fish and Wildlife 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 Fish and Wildlife starts at $66,756 a year — about $32.09 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $1,634 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $1,758 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $60,293 somewhere at average prices — $6,463 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.
About California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California Fish and Game Wardens are peace officers in the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division. They protect fish, wildlife and habitat, enforce pollution and natural-resource laws, prevent illegal commercialization of wildlife, conduct patrol and investigations and provide public-safety services throughout California.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. California CalCareers — Fish and Game Warden official postings — open the source document
$66,756. Current 2026 classification; verified 8 August 2026
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.
How this level compares
Where California Department of Fish and Wildlife 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 | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| 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 $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. California Department of Fish and Wildlife starts at $66,756, so $1,758 above the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer make?
California Department of Fish and Wildlife starts a new officer on $66,756 a year, about $32.09 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 — Fish and Game Warden official postings.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #211 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 11 pay less, 210 pay more in the state — and #933 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $1,634 below, and against other state agencies $1,758 above.
Compare with another department
Put California Department of Fish and Wildlife 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 | +$96,863 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$82,687 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$81,186 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$77,247 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$76,340 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$74,268 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$72,984 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$72,209 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$71,505 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$65,507 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$65,280 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$64,991 | #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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