El Centro, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in El Centro, CA?

In the El Centro, CA metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $39,650 a year ($19.06 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 340 of these jobs there. That is 12% below the $45,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $36,280 and $60,110; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $33,470 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in El Centro, CA at a glance

Median salary

$39,650$19.06 per hour · $3,304 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$36,280$17.44/hr
25th percentile$37,430$17.99/hr
75th percentile$45,820$22.03/hr
90th percentile$60,110$28.90/hr
Jobs in this metro340Location quotient 1.06 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here12% belowAll-jobs median $45,140
Against California17% belowStatewide median $47,770
Against the U.S.15% belowNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in El Centro, CA after taxes

$39,650
$15,000$80,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$39,650
Net 84%
Fed 7%
CA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$33,470After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,789Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,287Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,578 / yr
California state income tax$569 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,033 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in El Centro, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the El Centro, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the El Centro, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$17.44/hr$3,023$36,280$30,897
25th percentile$17.99/hr$3,119$37,430$31,775
MedianMedian$19.06/hr$3,304$39,650$33,470
75th percentile$22.03/hr$3,818$45,820$38,181
90th percentile$28.90/hr$5,009$60,110$48,832

Is $39,650 a good salary in El Centro, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$57,681Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)95.24.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household68.7%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in El Centro, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in El Centro, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the El Centro, CA metro area was $39,650 in May 2025, about $3,304 a month or $19.06 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $47,770, so the metro pays 17% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in El Centro, CA?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in El Centro, CA was $19.06 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.44 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.90.

How many forklift operators work in El Centro, CA?

BLS estimated 340 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 5.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.06 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in El Centro, CA?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in El Centro, CA run from $36,280 at the 10th percentile to $37,430 at the 25th, $45,820 at the 75th, and $60,110 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in El Centro, CA?

On a median gross salary of $39,650, an estimated $33,470 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,287 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,180 (an effective rate of 15.6%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in El Centro, CA?

On the median annual salary of $39,650, gross monthly income is $3,304. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,789 per month (or $1,287 every two weeks).

Is $39,650 a good salary in El Centro, CA?

At $39,650, the median salary for forklift operators is 68.7% of the El Centro, CA median household income ($57,681). It is 12% below the $45,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 95.2, so prices here run 4.8% below the U.S. average.