San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Across all occupations in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $50,770 a year ($24.41 an hour) and the mean $70,150, May 2025. That median is 0% against the US median of $50,980 and −13% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 122,020 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is family medicine physicians; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | Hourly | $17.06 | $18.54 | $24.41 | $39.12 | $61.93 | $33.73 | 122,020 |
| Annual | $35,480 | $38,570 | $50,770 | $81,370 | $128,810 | $70,150 | ||
| 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 | ||
362 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physicians | $345,310 | $166.02 | ** |
| 2 | Psychiatrists | $322,750 | $155.17 | 60 |
| 3 | Physicians, All Other | $290,330 | $139.58 | 80 |
| 4 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289,840 | $139.35 | ** |
| 5 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $213,070 | $102.44 | 180 |
| 6 | Chief Executives | $190,020 | $91.36 | 180 |
| 7 | Training and Development Managers | $179,170 | $86.14 | 30 |
| 8 | Natural Sciences Managers | $178,530 | $85.83 | 40 |
| 9 | Lawyers in California | $175,780 | $84.51 | 290 |
| 10 | Pharmacists | $172,860 | $83.11 | 240 |
| 11 | Dentists, General | $170,630 | $82.04 | 100 |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $167,910 | $80.73 | 200 |
| 13 | Industrial Production Managers | $166,030 | $79.82 | 240 |
| 14 | Sales Engineers | $163,810 | $78.76 | 30 |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioners | $162,950 | $78.34 | 140 |
| 16 | Physician Assistants | $162,790 | $78.27 | 100 |
| 17 | Marketing Managers | $160,490 | $77.16 | 120 |
| 18 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $155,960 | $74.98 | 90 |
| 19 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $152,560 | * | 170 |
| 20 | Veterinarians | $151,990 | $73.07 | 110 |
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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Most concentrated occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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 | 14.89 | 3,100 | 25.42 | $36,570 |
| 2 | Demonstrators and Product Promoters | 12.62 | 640 | 5.24 | $44,130 |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 12.09 | 270 | 2.17 | $48,100 |
| 4 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 9.86 | 220 | 1.81 | $44,230 |
| 5 | Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 7.27 | 340 | 2.81 | $54,190 |
| 6 | Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other | 5.78 | 540 | 4.41 | $49,450 |
| 7 | Forest and Conservation Technicians | 5.32 | 130 | 1.04 | * |
| 8 | Health Education Specialists | 5.03 | 260 | 2.13 | $61,660 |
| 9 | Counselors, All Other | 4.60 | 100 | 0.85 | $91,940 |
| 10 | Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 4.15 | 100 | 0.84 | $61,020 |
Occupation groups in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $118,270 | $133,020 | 6,420 | 52.63 | 0.83 |
| Management | $114,280 | $131,580 | 8,020 | 65.70 | 0.92 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $105,040 | $114,260 | 2,560 | 21.00 | 1.25 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $100,370 | $125,330 | 1,960 | 16.08 | 0.48 |
| Legal | $94,080 | $131,520 | 660 | 5.41 | 0.64 |
| Protective Service | $93,660 | $86,080 | 3,050 | 25.02 | 1.03 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $85,980 | $93,520 | 1,450 | 11.85 | 1.25 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $81,990 | $93,770 | 5,980 | 48.98 | 0.72 |
| Community and Social Service | $73,490 | $78,870 | 3,020 | 24.76 | 1.44 |
| Construction and Extraction | $66,640 | $74,870 | 6,150 | 50.36 | 1.22 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $63,020 | $77,720 | 8,010 | 65.60 | 1.12 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $62,090 | $69,790 | 4,330 | 35.46 | 0.91 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $58,930 | $72,270 | 1,460 | 11.98 | 0.91 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $50,240 | $55,300 | 12,580 | 103.08 | 0.90 |
| Production | $48,260 | $58,260 | 4,660 | 38.22 | 0.69 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $43,100 | $45,530 | 4,870 | 39.90 | 1.36 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $42,230 | $48,960 | 6,660 | 54.59 | 0.62 |
| Sales and Related | $41,040 | $51,600 | 11,100 | 90.93 | 1.05 |
| Personal Care and Service | $38,630 | $44,330 | 2,960 | 24.30 | 1.16 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $38,210 | $43,270 | 15,330 | 125.66 | 1.43 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,440 | $43,300 | 6,930 | 56.81 | 1.12 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,370 | $40,450 | 3,870 | 31.69 | 11.32 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 362 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA estimates (area 42020).
*- 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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.