The California State Controller published 2025 payroll data for special districts, joint powers entities, and qualifying nonprofits on the Government Compensation in California website. The data covers 165,338 positions reported by 3,018 special districts, with approximately $12.8 billion in wages and $3.4 billion in employer-paid health and retirement contributions, totaling approximately $16.2 billion in reported compensation.
Of the 3,182 entities required to report, 78 failed to file and 86 submitted incomplete reports. The 2025 publication includes 48 types of special districts performing 91 unique activities, including water, transportation, library, financial, fire protection, healthcare, and community services.
The data revealed that nine of the 10 positions reporting the highest total wages were in the healthcare industry, with three physicians receiving lump sum payments of $800,000 or more. Four of the 10 positions reporting the highest total wages involved employees earning more than $1 million in annual regular pay. All 10 special districts reporting the highest average wages were in the fire and public safety sector.
The Government Compensation in California website publishes pay and benefit information for more than two million government positions in California, as reported annually by each public entity. Users can view compensation levels on maps, search by region and district name, narrow results by job title, and export raw data or customized reports.