Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Salary in California
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in California earn a median $99,650 a year, +56% against the national median of $63,970; they and rank 2nd of 51 states by median. Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn 71% more than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona range from $56,590 in Arizona to $77,130 in Oregon. California employs 155,160 elementary school teachers, except special education, 8.52 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.95 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 155,160 | 8.52 | 0.95 |
| Annual | $61,940 | $77,140 | $99,650 | $119,970 | $127,070 | $95,670 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,388,390 | – | – |
| Annual | $47,960 | $57,710 | $63,970 | $81,450 | $104,340 | $72,650 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 2nd of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.95
- Jobs per 1,000
- 8.52
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for elementary school teachers, except special education, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | * | $103,390 | $60,980 | $117,100 | 10,480 | 9.70 | 1.09 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | * | $102,860 | $64,770 | $126,980 | 7,810 | 6.88 | 0.77 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | * | $101,860 | $62,250 | $129,130 | 44,790 | 7.14 | 0.80 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | * | $101,860 | $62,340 | $126,700 | 17,860 | 7.52 | 0.84 |
| Modesto, CA | * | $101,640 | $64,670 | $128,290 | 2,450 | 12.53 | 1.40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | * | $101,030 | $62,530 | $124,770 | 2,170 | 10.79 | 1.21 |
| Vallejo, CA | * | $100,790 | $62,640 | $131,020 | 1,680 | 11.64 | 1.30 |
| Napa, CA | * | $100,410 | $62,790 | $130,760 | 570 | 7.28 | 0.82 |
| El Centro, CA | * | $100,390 | $60,800 | $135,570 | 860 | 13.17 | 1.48 |
| Salinas, CA | * | $100,220 | $64,050 | $125,450 | 2,280 | 12.21 | 1.37 |
| Merced, CA | * | $100,120 | $74,520 | $129,410 | 1,560 | 19.58 | 2.19 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | * | $99,420 | $63,180 | $123,400 | 3,060 | 9.46 | 1.06 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | * | $99,260 | $62,070 | $126,150 | 1,000 | 10.16 | 1.14 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | * | $99,060 | $60,130 | $119,560 | 2,180 | 10.62 | 1.19 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | * | $98,520 | $62,330 | $130,850 | 18,850 | 10.98 | 1.23 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | * | $98,470 | $63,040 | $127,320 | 950 | 19.48 | 2.18 |
| Visalia, CA | * | $98,430 | $62,490 | $126,220 | 2,440 | 14.28 | 1.60 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | * | $97,620 | $61,800 | $125,920 | 1,140 | 9.35 | 1.05 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | * | $97,400 | $62,550 | $119,060 | 3,380 | 11.67 | 1.31 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | * | $97,000 | $62,140 | $123,450 | 11,340 | 7.38 | 0.83 |
| Yuba City, CA | * | $97,000 | $62,420 | $124,720 | 920 | 17.96 | 2.01 |
| Chico, CA | * | $95,000 | $60,900 | $120,560 | 1,120 | 14.26 | 1.60 |
| Redding, CA | * | $83,780 | $59,650 | $120,740 | 1,110 | 15.54 | 1.74 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | * | $79,900 | $61,230 | $118,580 | 4,540 | 13.43 | 1.50 |
| Fresno, CA | * | $78,800 | $59,840 | $133,730 | 5,610 | 11.76 | 1.32 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $91,200 | $61,330 | $124,600 | 1,830 | 17.54 | 1.96 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $83,300 | $62,140 | $122,380 | 860 | 13.60 | 1.52 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $79,380 | $60,590 | $114,030 | 1,820 | 16.63 | 1.86 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
*- 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.