Salinas, CA
Across all occupations in the Salinas, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $47,380 a year ($22.78 an hour) and the mean $65,160, May 2025. That median is −7% against the US median of $50,980 and −19% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 186,430 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is family medicine physicians; the largest is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse.
All occupations: Salinas, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Salinas, CA | Hourly | $17.06 | $17.96 | $22.78 | $36.44 | $57.44 | $31.33 | 186,430 |
| Annual | $35,480 | $37,350 | $47,380 | $75,790 | $119,480 | $65,160 | ||
| California | Hourly | $17.28 | $20.00 | $28.00 | $47.06 | $76.48 | $38.79 | 18,213,700 |
| Annual | $35,950 | $41,600 | $58,240 | $97,880 | $159,080 | $80,690 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
369 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: California. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Salinas, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physicians | $410,370 | $197.29 | 320 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $384,990 | $185.09 | 250 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $226,270 | $108.78 | 220 |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $187,730 | $90.25 | 70 |
| 5 | Dentists, General | $185,040 | $88.96 | 170 |
| 6 | Psychiatrists | $178,630 | $85.88 | 40 |
| 7 | Natural Sciences Managers | $171,290 | $82.35 | 40 |
| 8 | Physician Assistants | $170,180 | $81.82 | 130 |
| 9 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $167,160 | $80.36 | 200 |
| 10 | Lawyers in California | $166,940 | $80.26 | 380 |
| 11 | Pharmacists | $166,470 | $80.03 | 260 |
| 12 | Nurse Practitioners | $166,090 | $79.85 | 140 |
| 13 | Veterinarians | $163,080 | $78.41 | 120 |
| 14 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $161,590 | * | 350 |
| 15 | Purchasing Managers | $158,550 | $76.23 | 30 |
| 16 | Marketing Managers | $155,940 | $74.97 | 130 |
| 17 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $153,930 | $74.00 | 150 |
| 18 | Financial Managers in California | $153,370 | $73.73 | 450 |
| 19 | Human Resources Managers | $150,390 | $72.30 | 150 |
| 20 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $140,610 | $67.60 | 510 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Salinas, CA
Most concentrated occupations in Salinas, CA
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 84.30 | 26,830 | 143.93 | $36,700 |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 37.07 | 1,240 | 6.67 | $62,030 |
| 3 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 19.90 | 680 | 3.65 | $38,740 |
| 4 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 17.13 | 520 | 2.77 | $37,340 |
| 5 | Teachers and Instructors, All Other | 15.90 | 2,170 | 11.64 | $113,360 |
| 6 | Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 12.36 | 300 | 1.62 | $46,650 |
| 7 | Interpreters and Translators | 8.97 | 560 | 3.00 | $62,720 |
| 8 | Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 8.93 | 410 | 2.18 | $47,400 |
| 9 | Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation | 6.74 | 220 | 1.17 | $41,540 |
| 10 | Counselors, All Other | 6.63 | 230 | 1.22 | $48,200 |
Occupation groups in Salinas, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $120,220 | $135,370 | 8,620 | 46.24 | 0.73 |
| Management | $119,990 | $133,570 | 8,850 | 47.45 | 0.66 |
| Legal | $106,810 | $137,080 | 710 | 3.80 | 0.45 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $103,990 | $112,940 | 1,970 | 10.58 | 0.31 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $100,880 | $108,380 | 1,040 | 5.60 | 0.33 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $96,670 | $101,490 | 1,590 | 8.51 | 0.90 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $84,030 | $93,750 | 6,860 | 36.80 | 0.54 |
| Protective Service | $79,080 | $81,600 | 6,300 | 33.80 | 1.39 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $78,840 | $87,360 | 14,160 | 75.95 | 1.30 |
| Construction and Extraction | $65,160 | $73,460 | 6,540 | 35.10 | 0.85 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $62,950 | $82,360 | 2,020 | 10.83 | 0.82 |
| Community and Social Service | $62,820 | $73,370 | 3,520 | 18.91 | 1.10 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,490 | $66,430 | 5,330 | 28.60 | 0.73 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $52,000 | $56,800 | 15,170 | 81.35 | 0.71 |
| Production | $45,150 | $50,730 | 6,340 | 34.01 | 0.62 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $45,040 | $47,500 | 6,390 | 34.29 | 1.17 |
| Sales and Related | $40,850 | $52,290 | 13,450 | 72.16 | 0.84 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $40,380 | $45,830 | 15,720 | 84.32 | 0.96 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $40,340 | $44,700 | 18,270 | 98.01 | 1.11 |
| Personal Care and Service | $39,410 | $46,340 | 3,600 | 19.30 | 0.92 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,920 | $41,270 | 29,450 | 157.94 | 56.43 |
| Healthcare Support | $34,320 | $41,960 | 10,530 | 56.46 | 1.11 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 369 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Salinas, CA estimates (area 41500).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Salinas, CA area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.