California has one of the highest concentrations of residents in some stage of the criminal justice process, which makes it an appealing place to seek employment in the bounty hunting and bail bonds industry. While, employment is never guaranteed, there are opportunities throughout the state because of the large population and the fact that California has a much larger number of bail jumpers evading the law when compared to other states. Also, because California shares a very busy border with Mexico, it is an attractive place for people looking to leave the country in order to evade the law.
In California, the average bail bondsman earns an annual salary of $25,000, which is slightly higher than the national average of $23,000, according to Indeed.com. It’s important to note that the salary represents what is paid to employees on payroll. Since company owners collect interest, or a percentage fee on every bond they issue, they can earn much more.
The average bounty hunter in the state of California earns an annual salary of $51,000, which is higher than the national average of $47,000.
Bounty Hunter Salary in California
When considering that bounty hunters do not make a traditional salary, their annual earnings vary depending on the primary location they work in (large cities tend to have more bounties than less populated rural areas) and how many bounties they bring in at any given time- as bounty hunters are paid a percentage of whatever the bounty is on the person they bring to justice. The following is the average annual salaries for bounty hunters in the largest cities in the state:
- Los Angeles: $48,000
- San Francisco: $61,000
- San Diego: $46,000
- San Jose: $63,000
Bail Bondsman Salary in California
The following are the average annual salaries for bail bondsman in the largest metropolitan areas in California:
- Los Angeles: $24,000
- San Francisco: $30,000
- San Diego: $23,000
- San Jose: $32,000