San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Across all occupations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $58,690 a year ($28.21 an hour) and the mean $79,060, May 2025. That median is +15% against the US median of $50,980 and +1% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 1,538,060 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is cardiologists; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Hourly | $17.43 | $20.07 | $28.21 | $46.83 | $73.36 | $38.01 | 1,538,060 |
| Annual | $36,250 | $41,740 | $58,690 | $97,410 | $152,580 | $79,060 | ||
| 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 | ||
673 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $493,670 | $237.34 | ** |
| 2 | Psychiatrists | $335,620 | $161.36 | 310 |
| 3 | Physicians, Pathologists | $333,330 | $160.25 | 90 |
| 4 | Physicians, All Other | $323,050 | $155.31 | 4,200 |
| 5 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $321,950 | * | 340 |
| 6 | Family Medicine Physicians | $295,530 | $142.08 | 1,360 |
| 7 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $293,400 | $141.06 | 100 |
| 8 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $282,200 | $135.67 | ** |
| 9 | Pediatricians, General | $262,650 | $126.28 | 630 |
| 10 | Chief Executives | $238,440 | $114.64 | 2,710 |
| 11 | Podiatrists | $235,390 | $113.17 | 60 |
| 12 | Dermatologists | $233,370 | $112.20 | ** |
| 13 | Natural Sciences Managers | $207,200 | $99.62 | 2,890 |
| 14 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $206,740 | $99.40 | 7,250 |
| 15 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $204,290 | $98.22 | 230 |
| 16 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $202,810 | $97.51 | 3,270 |
| 17 | Nurse Midwives | $181,450 | $87.24 | 60 |
| 18 | Lawyers in California | $178,220 | $85.68 | 8,020 |
| 19 | Marketing Managers | $174,840 | $84.06 | 3,790 |
| 20 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $174,440 | $83.87 | 3,330 |
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Most concentrated occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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 | Marriage and Family Therapists | 8.10 | 5,350 | 3.48 | $49,610 |
| 2 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 4.56 | 1,680 | 1.09 | $121,530 |
| 3 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 4.39 | 3,330 | 2.16 | $174,440 |
| 4 | Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic | 4.26 | 250 | 0.16 | $74,490 |
| 5 | Material Moving Workers, All Other | 4.05 | 940 | 0.61 | $36,550 |
| 6 | Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | 3.99 | 3,340 | 2.17 | $36,330 |
| 7 | Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | 3.91 | 3,220 | 2.09 | $76,290 |
| 8 | Acupuncturists | 3.82 | 300 | 0.19 | $64,490 |
| 9 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 3.60 | 3,450 | 2.25 | $156,480 |
| 10 | Biological Scientists, All Other | 3.54 | 1,960 | 1.27 | $108,350 |
Occupation groups in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $136,440 | $156,320 | 116,230 | 75.57 | 1.06 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $129,520 | $134,020 | 58,190 | 37.83 | 1.12 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $126,810 | $135,680 | 87,050 | 56.60 | 0.90 |
| Legal | $126,570 | $154,420 | 13,860 | 9.01 | 1.07 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $118,100 | $123,540 | 39,180 | 25.47 | 1.51 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $97,780 | $103,430 | 25,270 | 16.43 | 1.73 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $95,930 | $102,790 | 114,570 | 74.49 | 1.10 |
| Construction and Extraction | $67,580 | $76,000 | 65,430 | 42.54 | 1.03 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $67,100 | $84,500 | 19,990 | 13.00 | 0.99 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $66,290 | $80,960 | 89,280 | 58.05 | 0.99 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $63,220 | $69,110 | 45,900 | 29.84 | 0.76 |
| Community and Social Service | $59,750 | $68,560 | 35,750 | 23.24 | 1.35 |
| Protective Service | $54,100 | $69,060 | 40,420 | 26.28 | 1.08 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $52,940 | $57,900 | 155,940 | 101.39 | 0.89 |
| Production | $49,160 | $56,530 | 61,280 | 39.84 | 0.72 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $45,010 | $50,630 | 98,510 | 64.05 | 0.73 |
| Sales and Related | $44,010 | $58,460 | 124,550 | 80.98 | 0.94 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $43,520 | $45,590 | 49,220 | 32.00 | 1.09 |
| Personal Care and Service | $38,980 | $46,020 | 41,260 | 26.83 | 1.28 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $38,840 | $44,220 | 161,910 | 105.27 | 1.20 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $38,300 | $46,390 | 2,920 | 1.90 | 0.68 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,290 | $43,170 | 91,350 | 59.39 | 1.17 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 673 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA estimates (area 41740).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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.