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Pay Scales: Where’s the best place to be a middle manager in California?

Judging by pay alone, it’s Los Angeles or San Jose. Or so says a recent survey by AppleOne, a Glendale-based supplier of temporary employees.

The company surveyed 2,625 employers around the state in February and March. What it found: Office managers in Los Angeles and the San Jose/Monterey area earned an estimated $18.30 an hour.

Orange County wasn’t far behind at $18.20. The average for the state as a whole was $17.40.

The lowest pay for office managers was in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties area. It was $15.80 an hour.

Orange County was near the high end of the salary survey throughout. Example: Plant managers made $23.20 an hour here; only the Ventura County/Santa Barbara area was higher, at $23.70.

The state average was $21.60.

The same was true for clerical and light industrial help. A receptionist earned $8.70 an hour in Orange County, higher than all but San Francisco--$9.20 an hour--and San Jose, $9.40.

The state average was $8.30.

A production worker made $8.70 in Orange County, better than the rest of Southern California but lower than the Northern California cities.

The state average was $8.90.

Forklift operators, like other industrial workers, tended to fare better up north too: They take home $10.30 an hour. In Orange County, they averaged $8.60 an hour. The average statewide was $8.90.