Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary Salary in California
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in California earn a median $46,490 a year, +26% against the national median of $36,780; they and rank 4th of 51 states by median. That is 20% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Arizona and Nevada range from $31,900 in Nevada to $39,850 in Oregon. California employs 177,140 teaching assistants, except postsecondary, 9.72 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.06 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 | * | * | * | * | * | * | 177,140 | 9.73 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $37,240 | $39,590 | $46,490 | $49,550 | $59,520 | $47,300 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 1,420,350 | – | – |
| Annual | $27,150 | $31,060 | $36,780 | $45,360 | $50,040 | $38,290 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 4th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.06
- Jobs per 1,000
- 9.73
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 teaching assistants, except postsecondary, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | * | $49,360 | $40,320 | $62,910 | 18,710 | 7.88 | 0.86 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | * | $49,010 | $39,170 | $63,230 | 7,240 | 6.38 | 0.70 |
| Napa, CA | * | $48,450 | $38,590 | $61,190 | 530 | 6.75 | 0.74 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | * | $48,270 | $39,080 | $59,460 | 1,930 | 9.40 | 1.03 |
| Vallejo, CA | * | $48,200 | $38,610 | $59,320 | 1,630 | 11.31 | 1.24 |
| Salinas, CA | * | $48,030 | $38,660 | $59,930 | 2,290 | 12.29 | 1.34 |
| Modesto, CA | * | $47,990 | $37,760 | $58,650 | 3,470 | 17.77 | 1.95 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | * | $47,860 | $37,930 | $58,580 | 3,870 | 11.93 | 1.31 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | * | $47,430 | $38,080 | $60,190 | 1,060 | 10.76 | 1.18 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | * | $46,540 | $38,060 | $57,390 | 2,360 | 11.76 | 1.29 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | * | $46,440 | $36,540 | $56,870 | 13,260 | 8.62 | 0.94 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | * | $46,410 | $37,010 | $57,030 | 1,270 | 10.41 | 1.14 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | * | $46,330 | $37,400 | $57,160 | 22,500 | 13.11 | 1.43 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | * | $46,240 | $37,220 | $60,010 | 53,010 | 8.45 | 0.93 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | * | $45,990 | $37,940 | $58,030 | 11,110 | 10.28 | 1.13 |
| Yuba City, CA | * | $45,880 | $37,140 | $57,040 | 1,220 | 23.89 | 2.62 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | * | $45,780 | $37,590 | $56,480 | 1,080 | 22.09 | 2.42 |
| Chico, CA | * | $45,660 | $36,440 | $55,680 | 1,220 | 15.59 | 1.71 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | * | $45,550 | $37,810 | $55,600 | 3,500 | 12.07 | 1.32 |
| Fresno, CA | * | $45,340 | $36,710 | $57,240 | 6,530 | 13.70 | 1.50 |
| Visalia, CA | * | $45,230 | $36,510 | $55,410 | 2,760 | 16.15 | 1.77 |
| Merced, CA | * | $44,680 | $36,780 | $55,890 | 1,950 | 24.54 | 2.69 |
| Redding, CA | * | $44,430 | $36,320 | $53,810 | 1,030 | 14.45 | 1.58 |
| El Centro, CA | * | $43,970 | $36,350 | $57,760 | 1,110 | 16.95 | 1.86 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | * | $38,930 | $36,180 | $48,010 | 6,040 | 17.87 | 1.96 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $46,160 | $37,230 | $57,670 | 800 | 12.68 | 1.39 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $45,970 | $37,400 | $57,740 | 1,970 | 17.98 | 1.97 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | * | $45,230 | $36,120 | $57,370 | 2,130 | 20.39 | 2.23 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (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.