Is Caltrans a good company to work for?

Caltrans has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 970 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 79% of employees would recommend working at Caltrans to a friend and 76% 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?

79% 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?

"Great benefits and time off" ((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 62 reviews)); "Great people to work with and to learn the legal profession" ((in 53 reviews)); "Great place to work.. Job Security ,... very family oriented amongst Co workers ..." ((in 26 reviews)); "Respectful and friendly coworkers" ((in 23 reviews))

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

"Pay is low and they are bit behind technology wise" ((in 49 reviews)); "San Diego is expensive and the salaries are low" ((in 23 reviews)); "Lots of red tape, nepotism." ((in 9 reviews)); "If you have a bad manager, expect a horrible time working." ((in 9 reviews)); "Poor upper management." ((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 , Stockton , Redding , 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

Caltrans reviews

4.1

79% would recommend to a friend

(851 total reviews)

Malcolm Dougherty

67% approve of CEO

76% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Caltrans has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 851 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 & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

851 reviews

2.0

Apr 28, 2010

Ok place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Laid back work, not a lot of stress to take home after work. Hours are very flexible, manager and co-worker were great people

Cons

Not a lot of growth as an engineer looking to get technical experience. Work days very slow and not a lot of work to do

2.0

Apr 13, 2010

Good place to start a career, but...

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good place for an engineer to start his or her career. The rotation program is excellent and can't be beat. The benefits are very good especially if you have a family. There are some very knowledgeable people, but you have to hunt them down, through "the weeds."

Cons

Caltrans suffers from 'civil servant' disease. This disease infects everybody to some degree who works for the government after a few years. It takes an act of the State Legislature to fire some one. Most senior managers don't know how to manage effectively. It's hard to witness incompetence on all levels. There is no incentive to excel and if you do, you will get burned! This is coming from experience.

5.0

Dec 18, 2009

Caltrans is a great place to work.

Te (range d)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of dedicated people, Opportunities to learn outside your own specialties, Huge interesting projects.

Cons

Some marginal people, the flipside of the job security and enforcing kind treatment within the workplace is that it is difficult to get rid of people who are not working or take advantage of the system

Viewing 844 - 846 of 851 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltrans

EQUIPMENT MATERIEL SPECIALIST

SENIOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNER

OFFICE TECHNICIAN (TYPING)

CALTRANS EQUIPMENT OPERATOR I

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Caltrans

Caltrans reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Ok place to work

Good place to start a career, but...

Caltrans is a great place to work.

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Jobs at Caltrans