Is Caltrans a good company to work for?

Caltrans has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 974 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at Caltrans to a friend and 78% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Caltrans have been left by employees working as Associate Right of Way Agent , Civil Engineer and Transportation Engineer, Civil .

Does Caltrans pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltrans employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 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?

80% 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, 3.7 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) , Senior Transportation Engineer (11) , Associate Environmental Planner (10) , Transportation Planner (10)

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

"good benefits and money etc" ((in 94 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 65 reviews)); "Great people to work with and to learn the legal profession" ((in 49 reviews)); "Good job security" ((in 24 reviews)); "Respectful and friendly coworkers" ((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)); "San Diego is expensive and the salaries are low" ((in 21 reviews)); "The supervisors are abusive." ((in 12 reviews)); "Upper management is incompetent." ((in 9 reviews)); "Lots of red tape, nepotism." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about Caltrans layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Caltrans locations?

Sacramento , Oakland , Los Angeles , San Diego , San Bernardino , Fresno , Marysville , Santa Ana , San Luis Obispo , Eureka , Redding , Stockton , Irvine , Orange , San Francisco , Bakersfield , Fontana , San Jose , Yreka , Bishop , Brea , Long Beach , Riverside , West Sacramento , Alameda , Santa Cruz , Fairfield , Central Valley , Sacramento Valley , Austin

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Caltrans

Caltrans reviews

4.0

80% would recommend to a friend

(854 total reviews)

Malcolm Dougherty

67% approve of CEO

78% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Work/Life balance

4.0

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Career opportunities

3.7

Culture & values

3.6

Senior management

Caltrans has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 854 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Caltrans employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

854 reviews

3.0

Jul 5, 2018

Slow and boring.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Caltrans work environment is stress-free.

Cons

You feel like you are wasting your life.

1.0

Apr 20, 2018

Maintenance

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits, retirement, union, job security.

Cons

Run like the mafia. No promotion without connections. Promotions are merely salary increases without increased responsibilities. So many layers of well connected supervisors bully the few workers who did not have the connections to promote. Discrimination based on race and nepotism. Stressful, dead end jobs.

3.0

Oct 30, 2017

Engineering Geologist

Engineering geologist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The State offers Excellent health benefits, and retirement if you are willing to serve your time. Plenty of opportunity to grow in career, challenging projects, and ability to work independently.

Cons

The management generally lacks the ability to communicate, reach critical deadlines and stay within budget. There is a huge amount of waist and self entitlement. Lots of wasted resources

Viewing 13 - 15 of 854 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltrans

CALTRANS LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE WORKER

CALTRANS HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE WORKER

OFFICE TECHNICIAN (TYPING)

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CALTRANS LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE WORKER