Does Caltrans pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltrans employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltrans. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltrans?

81% of Caltrans employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltrans 4.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Caltrans?

Transportation Engineer (89) , Student Assistant (74) , Transportation Engineer, Civil (41) , Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA) (27) , Environmental Planner (23) , Right of Way Agent (15) , Civil Engineer (14) , Engineer (14) , Intern (14) , Associate Transportation Planner (13) , Associate Right of Way Agent (11) , Highway Maintenance Worker (11) , Associate Environmental Planner (10) , Senior Transportation Engineer (10) , Transportation Planner (10)

What are the pros of working at Caltrans according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefits and time off" ((in 107 reviews)); "Great work/life balance and a genuine feeling of positive work for the public (even though the public may not see it that way)." ((in 64 reviews)); "Great people to work with and to learn the legal profession" ((in 52 reviews)); "Respectful and friendly coworkers" ((in 23 reviews)); "Good job security" ((in 23 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Caltrans according to real employee reviews?

"High turnover because of low pay" ((in 48 reviews)); "Bad management and quarter review" ((in 30 reviews)); "San Diego is expensive and the salaries are low" ((in 22 reviews)); "The supervisors are abusive." ((in 12 reviews)); "No parking" ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about Caltrans redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Caltrans redundancy and their outlook for job security at Caltrans in 2026.

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Caltrans

Caltrans Reviews

4.1

81% would recommend to a friend

(847 total reviews)

Malcolm Dougherty

72% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Work/Life balance

4.2

Diversity and inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Career opportunities

3.8

Culture and values

3.7

Senior management

Caltrans has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 847 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Caltrans employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government and public administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

847 reviews

2.0

24 Oct 2017

Associate Planner

Associate environmental planner

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Benefit package. Flexibility. Retirement compensation. At 20 years-you can retire and get your medical insurance fully paid. If you consider that benefit could amount to $1500 in pre tax benefits-you’ll understand why people’s stay here when the place is full of bottom feeders and lacks modern technology

Cons

Hostile creepy people in some departments. Lack of technology, wages are 30-40% below private sector. Org is run like mafia. Filthy building, consultants try to compete for your work, no advancement.

1.0

26 July 2014

Bunch of lazy employees who feel entitled

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Job stability. You will have to steal or murder someone to get fired.

Cons

Many employees in the accounting department are making close to $70k per year and have nothing to do. They get their nails done, read their kindles, play games on their phones, take extra long breaks and lunches, etc and the top dog does nothing about it. Sorry, but I don't like my taxpayer money being wasted on these folks.

1.0

8 Oct 2013

The most dysfunctional organization I've ever seen

Engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

You will hear employees say its a good place to work, because most have never worked anywhere else. And the others are just trying to get promoted. There are Furloughs, very low salaries, slow computers, back-bighting, brown-nosing, arrogant directors, and incompetent employees, transferred from one department to another with no real training or experience. -- Caltrans Slogan: "Just throw money at it"

Cons

It's always on the verge of collapse.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 847 Reviews

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