City of Costa Mesa salaries

Q: Is the pay good at City of Costa Mesa?

No, the pay is not good at City of Costa Mesa. Compared to the industry average of $48,656 per year, the average annual salary at City of Costa Mesa is $42,613, which is 12.42% lower.

Q: What is the starting pay at City of Costa Mesa?

The starting pay at City of Costa Mesa is $24,000 per year, or $11.54 per hour.

Q: How much does City of Costa Mesa pay an hour?

City of Costa Mesa pays $20.49 an hour, on average.

Zippia score 4.2

City of Costa Mesa salary estimate

$42,613yearly

$20.49 hourly rate

Entry-level salary

$24,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

City of Costa Mesa Salaries Overview

The City of Costa Mesa presents a varied salary landscape for its employees. The average salary is $42,613, but this figure masks significant disparities based on roles and departments. For instance, positions like engineering associates and senior engineers enjoy higher compensation, averaging $81,957 and $81,838 respectively. In contrast, roles such as school aides and camp counselors have lower average salaries, around $25,847.

Departments play a crucial role in salary determination. The IT department leads with an average salary of $65,121, followed closely by finance at $58,654. However, those in education and hospitality services see much lower figures, with averages of $29,652 and $31,147 respectively. Understanding these variations is essential for job seekers looking to balance their skills with appropriate compensation.

For a broader perspective, comparing salaries at similar organizations, such as City of Gardena and City of Eureka, reveals averages of $69,652 and $68,559. This contextual information allows candidates to gauge their market value effectively.

Highest paying jobs at City of Costa Mesa

The highest paying jobs at City of Costa Mesa are engineering associate, senior engineer, service manager, and civil engineer. Engineering associate jobs at City of Costa Mesa earn an average yearly salary of $81,957, City of Costa Mesa senior engineer jobs average $81,838, and City of Costa Mesa service manager jobs average $76,826.

The lowest paying City of Costa Mesa roles include school aide and camp counselor. City of Costa Mesa school aide average salary is $25,847 per year. So while the average City of Costa Mesa salary is $42,613 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at City of Costa Mesa

Rank	Job title	Average City of Costa Mesa salary	Hourly rate
1	Engineering Associate	$81,957	$39.40
2	Senior Engineer	$81,838	$39.35
3	Service Manager	$76,826	$36.94
4	Civil Engineer	$75,966	$36.52
5	Programmer	$74,902	$36.01
6	Maintenance Supervisor	$72,798	$35.00
7	Principal	$72,310	$34.76
8	Chief Of Police	$69,510	$33.42
9	Network Technician	$67,976	$32.68
10	Purchasing Manager	$66,582	$32.01
11	Police Officer	$66,177	$31.82
12	Engineering Internship	$62,196	$29.90
13	Purchasing Supervisor	$61,349	$29.49
14	Senior Managment Analyst	$60,560	$29.12
15	Team Leader	$59,567	$28.64
16	Budget Analyst	$57,208	$27.50
17	Master	$49,383	$23.74
18	Sports Coordinator	$48,845	$23.48
19	Manager's Assistant/Administrative Assistant	$48,061	$23.11
20	Community Outreach Worker	$47,193	$22.69

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City of Costa Mesa salaries by department

Salaries at City of Costa Mesa vary depending on the department you work in. City of Costa Mesa salaries in the it department are the highest with an average salary of $65,121. Employees in the finance department at City of Costa Mesa receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $58,654 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at City of Costa Mesa include the education and the hospitality/service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $29,652 and $31,147, respectively.

Average City of Costa Mesa salary by department

Rank	Department	Average City of Costa Mesa salary	Hourly rate
1	IT	$65,121	$31.31
2	Finance	$58,654	$28.20
3	Engineering	$56,693	$27.26
4	Supply Chain	$51,273	$24.65
5	Marketing	$51,129	$24.58
6	Retail	$43,488	$20.91
7	Facilities	$41,547	$19.97
8	Customer Service	$39,718	$19.10
9	Construction	$36,790	$17.69
10	Non Profit/Government	$35,535	$17.08
11	Administrative	$35,440	$17.04
12	Hospitality/Service	$31,148	$14.98
13	Education	$29,652	$14.26

How much does City of Costa Mesa pay by department?

Best paying City of Costa Mesa non profit/government salaries

Rank	Position	Average City of Costa Mesa salary	Hourly rate
1	Police Officer	$66,177	$31.82
2	Code Enforcement Officer	$46,404	$22.31
3	Recreation Supervisor	$40,635	$19.54
4	Recreation Leader	$27,563	$13.25

Best paying City of Costa Mesa engineering salaries

Rank	Position	Average City of Costa Mesa salary	Hourly rate
1	Engineering Associate	$81,957	$39.40
2	Senior Engineer	$81,838	$39.35
3	Design Engineer Internship	$75,781	$36.43
4	Programmer Analyst	$67,442	$32.42
5	Engineering Internship	$62,196	$29.90
6	Communications Officer	$35,452	$17.04

Best paying City of Costa Mesa administrative salaries

Rank	Position	Average City of Costa Mesa salary	Hourly rate
1	Manager's Assistant/Administrative Assistant	$48,061	$23.11
2	Executive Assistant	$44,733	$21.51
3	Recording Technician	$38,319	$18.42
4	Project Management Internship	$35,980	$17.30
5	Processing Specialist	$33,839	$16.27
6	Office Specialist	$32,681	$15.71
7	Clerk Typist	$32,045	$15.41
8	Clerical/Administrative Assistant	$30,932	$14.87
9	Unit Assistant	$28,652	$13.78

City of Costa Mesa competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at City of Costa Mesa competitors, like City Of Gardena, City of Eureka, and City of Southlake, vary. City Of Gardena employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $69,652. The average salary at City of Eureka is $68,559 per year, and the average salary at City of Southlake is $67,301 per year.

Highest paying City of Costa Mesa competitors

Rank	Company name	Zippia score	Average salary
1	City Of Gardena	3.8	$69,652
2	City of Eureka	3.7	$68,559
3	City of Southlake	3.3	$67,301
4	City of Walnut Creek	3.7	$64,674
5	City of Fresno	4.2	$59,977
6	City of Corona	3.4	$59,704
7	City of Culver City	3.4	$53,842
8	1 8 3 Lanes	4.0	$49,612
9	City of Los Angeles	4.0	$49,427
10	Woodstock, Georgia	3.8	$45,734
11	City of Mountain View	4.5	$43,648
12	City of Peoria	4.3	$42,718
13	City of Lodi	3.9	$40,105
14	City of Anaheim	4.7	$39,223
15	City of San Leandro	4.1	$37,467
16	City of Newport Beach	3.9	$37,437
17	City of Downey	3.3	$37,041
18	City of Huntington Beach	4.2	$36,694
19	City of Sacramento	4.3	$35,908
20	City of Modesto	3.0	$34,400

Recently added City of Costa Mesa salaries

Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal	Costa Mesa, CA	06/28/2025	$203,412
Custody Officer	Costa Mesa, CA	06/27/2025	$74,256
Intern	Costa Mesa, CA	04/19/2025	$48,001
Community Services Specialist	Costa Mesa, CA	03/27/2025	$64,488
Planning and Sustainable Development Manager	Costa Mesa, CA	03/19/2025	$196,056

Frequently asked questions about City of Costa Mesa salaries

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How much does City of Costa Mesa pay an hour?

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Updated December 15, 2025

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of City of Costa Mesa, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about City of Costa Mesa. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at City of Costa Mesa. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by City of Costa Mesa. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of City of Costa Mesa and its employees or that of Zippia.

City of Costa Mesa may also be known as or be related to City Of Costa Mesa and City of Costa Mesa.