Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Across all occupations in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $51,690 a year ($24.85 an hour) and the mean $71,660, May 2025. That median is +1% against the US median of $50,980 and −11% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 200,760 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is psychiatrists; the largest is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse.
All occupations: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | Hourly | $17.12 | $18.67 | $24.85 | $39.71 | $63.35 | $34.45 | 200,760 |
| Annual | $35,620 | $38,840 | $51,690 | $82,590 | $131,760 | $71,660 | ||
| 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 | ||
434 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychiatrists | $333,300 | $160.24 | 60 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $296,960 | $142.77 | 280 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physicians | $287,230 | $138.09 | 440 |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $207,900 | $99.95 | 340 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $207,760 | $99.89 | 700 |
| 6 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $202,030 | * | 30 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $195,650 | $94.06 | 360 |
| 8 | Natural Sciences Managers | $175,400 | $84.33 | 110 |
| 9 | Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $173,640 | * | 70 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $171,880 | $82.63 | 70 |
| 11 | Lawyers in California | $170,970 | $82.20 | 700 |
| 12 | Dentists, General | $170,940 | $82.18 | 140 |
| 13 | Marketing Managers | $170,920 | $82.17 | 340 |
| 14 | Managers, All Other in California | $167,090 | $80.33 | 900 |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioners | $165,580 | $79.60 | 200 |
| 16 | Human Resources Managers | $165,160 | $79.40 | 210 |
| 17 | Financial Managers in California | $164,270 | $78.98 | 760 |
| 18 | Pharmacists | $162,520 | $78.13 | 290 |
| 19 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $161,440 | $77.61 | 110 |
| 20 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $159,950 | * | 360 |
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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Most concentrated occupations in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 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 | 32.14 | 11,020 | 54.87 | $36,230 |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 19.72 | 710 | 3.55 | $48,520 |
| 3 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 12.57 | 460 | 2.30 | $41,910 |
| 4 | Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 8.36 | 110 | 0.53 | $100,710 |
| 5 | Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 7.84 | 130 | 0.64 | $77,160 |
| 6 | Tapers | 6.76 | 110 | 0.56 | $61,870 |
| 7 | Plasterers and Stucco Masons | 6.36 | 160 | 0.79 | $60,130 |
| 8 | Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 5.68 | 1,100 | 5.47 | $71,200 |
| 9 | Demonstrators and Product Promoters | 5.49 | 460 | 2.28 | $44,520 |
| 10 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 4.43 | 140 | 0.72 | $35,420 |
Occupation groups in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $128,790 | $144,630 | 13,080 | 65.17 | 0.91 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $121,970 | $129,720 | 10,310 | 51.38 | 0.81 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $120,670 | $125,720 | 5,870 | 29.23 | 0.86 |
| Legal | $109,550 | $143,130 | 1,160 | 5.79 | 0.69 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $109,530 | $118,620 | 3,830 | 19.09 | 1.13 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $97,490 | $102,430 | 2,560 | 12.76 | 1.35 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $87,860 | $99,570 | 10,410 | 51.87 | 0.77 |
| Protective Service | $75,690 | $79,530 | 3,740 | 18.62 | 0.77 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $71,010 | $80,310 | 2,370 | 11.80 | 0.90 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $67,080 | $78,290 | 14,740 | 73.41 | 1.25 |
| Community and Social Service | $65,350 | $73,510 | 4,280 | 21.30 | 1.24 |
| Construction and Extraction | $62,850 | $71,040 | 8,850 | 44.07 | 1.07 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,710 | $65,870 | 5,690 | 28.33 | 0.72 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $54,690 | $58,560 | 19,440 | 96.82 | 0.85 |
| Production | $48,050 | $55,210 | 7,080 | 35.25 | 0.64 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $43,750 | $48,980 | 11,600 | 57.78 | 0.66 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $43,490 | $45,250 | 8,200 | 40.87 | 1.40 |
| Sales and Related | $43,350 | $54,980 | 15,980 | 79.59 | 0.92 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $39,220 | $43,190 | 22,860 | 113.89 | 1.29 |
| Personal Care and Service | $38,780 | $46,390 | 5,000 | 24.89 | 1.19 |
| Healthcare Support | $38,460 | $43,380 | 11,190 | 55.76 | 1.10 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,360 | $39,030 | 12,510 | 62.34 | 22.27 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 434 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA estimates (area 42200).
*- 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 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.