A CDMA system according to an embodiment of the invention employs a technique for power optimized user loading that obtains a desired allocation of different radio configuration calls. The technique takes advantage of the relatively low power requirements of RC3 calls for low load conditions, while increasing the number of RC4 calls for high load conditions. As the load increases, the system determines a target combination of RC3 and RC4 calls based upon the current average power per link measurements for RC3 and RC4 calls, and based upon the power limitations of the system. The technique strives to maximize the capacity of the system while maintaining operation below the overall power limit.