California
Across all occupations in California, the median wage is $58,240 a year ($28.00 an hour) and the mean $80,690, May 2025. That median is +14% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 18,213,700 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is ophthalmologists, except pediatric; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: California vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| 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 | ||
Minimum wage in California
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the California minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in California
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $400,150 | $192.38 | 820 |
| 2 | Neurologists | $357,080 | $171.68 | 1,090 |
| 3 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $353,900 | * | 10,670 |
| 4 | Psychiatrists | $353,500 | $169.95 | 5,420 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $313,890 | $150.91 | 6,370 |
| 6 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $301,240 | $144.83 | 1,610 |
| 7 | Nurse Anesthetists | $292,410 | $140.58 | 2,230 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | $281,590 | $135.38 | 25,530 |
| 9 | Radiologists | $270,560 | $130.08 | 690 |
| 10 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $253,430 | $121.84 | ** |
| 11 | Family Medicine Physicians | $252,010 | $121.16 | ** |
| 12 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $230,730 | $110.93 | 340 |
| 13 | Chief Executives | $218,600 | $105.10 | 34,700 |
| 14 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $218,290 | $104.95 | 94,720 |
| 15 | Pediatricians, General | $214,140 | $102.95 | 6,680 |
| 16 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $210,280 | $101.10 | 29,630 |
| 17 | Natural Sciences Managers | $210,230 | $101.07 | 14,950 |
| 18 | Physicists | $207,490 | $99.75 | 5,930 |
| 19 | Nurse Midwives | $203,840 | $98.00 | 870 |
| 20 | Podiatrists | $201,300 | $96.78 | 1,000 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in California
Occupation groups in California
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $143,220 | $166,140 | 1,330,280 | 73.04 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $138,670 | $151,880 | 717,740 | 39.41 |
| Legal | $129,550 | $174,130 | 158,370 | 8.70 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $124,010 | $128,910 | 327,600 | 17.99 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $123,330 | $133,180 | 990,550 | 54.39 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $101,700 | $109,910 | 206,700 | 11.35 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $96,110 | $106,190 | 1,265,010 | 69.45 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $79,520 | $104,120 | 338,230 | 18.57 |
| Construction and Extraction | $71,670 | $78,280 | 672,770 | 36.94 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $69,190 | $81,870 | 1,087,510 | 59.71 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $64,660 | $71,370 | 546,040 | 29.98 |
| Community and Social Service | $62,590 | $73,710 | 407,070 | 22.35 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $54,900 | $59,330 | 1,878,550 | 103.14 |
| Protective Service | $51,700 | $71,870 | 461,860 | 25.36 |
| Production | $47,860 | $54,930 | 744,730 | 40.89 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $45,850 | $53,010 | 1,504,070 | 82.58 |
| Sales and Related | $45,400 | $61,710 | 1,454,670 | 79.87 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $44,250 | $47,220 | 509,190 | 27.96 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $40,250 | $43,930 | 1,622,960 | 89.11 |
| Personal Care and Service | $39,500 | $46,580 | 408,180 | 22.41 |
| Healthcare Support | $35,950 | $41,640 | 1,373,820 | 75.43 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $35,890 | $39,990 | 207,800 | 11.41 |
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas touch California, plus 3 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | Metropolitan | $47,470 | $22.82 | 338,230 |
| Chico, CA | Metropolitan | $48,050 | $23.10 | 78,220 |
| El Centro, CA | Metropolitan | $45,140 | $21.70 | 65,430 |
| Fresno, CA | Metropolitan | $46,910 | $22.55 | 476,890 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | Metropolitan | $48,470 | $23.30 | 48,820 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Metropolitan | $55,850 | $26.85 | 6,271,560 |
| Merced, CA | Metropolitan | $47,220 | $22.70 | 79,510 |
| Modesto, CA | Metropolitan | $50,610 | $24.33 | 195,230 |
| Napa, CA | Metropolitan | $55,210 | $26.54 | 77,860 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | Metropolitan | $52,510 | $25.24 | 323,890 |
| Redding, CA | Metropolitan | $48,920 | $23.52 | 71,550 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | Metropolitan | $48,400 | $23.27 | 1,716,760 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | Metropolitan | $59,750 | $28.73 | 1,080,590 |
| Salinas, CA | Metropolitan | $47,380 | $22.78 | 186,430 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Metropolitan | $58,690 | $28.21 | 1,538,060 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Metropolitan | $74,260 | $35.70 | 2,373,920 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Metropolitan | $84,050 | $40.41 | 1,134,970 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | Metropolitan | $50,770 | $24.41 | 122,020 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | Metropolitan | $54,730 | $26.31 | 98,500 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | Metropolitan | $51,690 | $24.85 | 200,760 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | Metropolitan | $56,850 | $27.33 | 205,260 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | Metropolitan | $48,990 | $23.55 | 289,660 |
| Vallejo, CA | Metropolitan | $58,620 | $28.18 | 144,130 |
| Visalia, CA | Metropolitan | $45,130 | $21.70 | 171,140 |
| Yuba City, CA | Metropolitan | $49,970 | $24.03 | 51,090 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $49,350 | $23.73 | 109,630 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $51,760 | $24.89 | 63,160 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $52,270 | $25.13 | 104,500 |
Occupation pages for California
63 occupations have a dedicated California page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $97,050
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $64,980
- Bartenders $36,220
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $59,230
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $87,570
- Carpenters $75,920
- Cashiers $37,100
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $218,290
- Computer User Support Specialists $79,570
- Construction Laborers $60,270
- Cooks, Fast Food $42,050
- Cooks, Restaurant $44,880
- Customer Service Representatives $49,560
- Electricians $76,160
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $99,650
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $42,280
- Financial Managers $180,770
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $97,680
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $46,980
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $93,660
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $77,590
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $76,840
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $54,870
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $65,550
- Food Preparation Workers $39,350
- General and Operations Managers $124,390
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,230
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $34,320
- Human Resources Specialists $83,500
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $47,770
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $41,090
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $44,710
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $45,560
- Lawyers $195,080
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $79,750
- Light Truck Drivers $46,790
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $42,660
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $57,000
- Management Analysts $101,460
- Managers, All Other $174,560
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $94,700
- Medical Assistants $49,660
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $54,490
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $98,950
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $47,720
- Nursing Assistants $47,630
- Office Clerks, General $48,460
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $118,880
- Project Management Specialists $120,910
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $44,100
- Registered Nurses $140,270
- Retail Salespersons $38,440
- Sales Managers $134,910
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $80,850
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $76,490
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $101,370
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $55,400
- Security Guards $43,240
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $46,520
- Software Developers $174,410
- Stockers and Order Fillers $42,870
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $46,490
- Waiters and Waitresses $36,080
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for California
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for California. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
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.
**- 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 California.