Salaries in California by job

Median annual wages in California for 55 occupations, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).

Across all occupations, the California median is 14% above the U.S. median.

JobMedian a yearvs U.S.
Airline pilot$354,000+52%
Family doctor / GP$252,000+3%
Lawyer$195,000+22%
Marketing manager$194,000+16%
Software developer$174,000+28%
Dentist$166,000−3%
Pharmacist$165,000+17%
Veterinarian$164,000+26%
Electrical engineer$144,000+19%
Data scientist$142,000+18%
Registered nurse$140,000+44%
Mechanical engineer$131,000+26%
Actuary$131,000same
Dental hygienist$125,000+27%
General / operations manager$124,000+18%
Physical therapist / physiotherapist$124,000+21%
Civil engineer$123,000+22%
Project manager$121,000+18%
Web developer$120,000+29%
Police officer$119,000+56%
Psychologist$116,000+15%
Financial analyst$109,000+6%
Architect$109,000+9%
Network / systems administrator$106,000+7%
Management consultant / analyst$101,000same
High school teacher$101,000+41%
Elementary school teacher$100,000+56%
Accountant / auditor$97,000+16%
Firefighter$85,000+44%
HR specialist$84,000+10%
IT support specialist$80,000+29%
Paralegal$77,000+23%
Sales representative (B2B)$76,000+6%
Electrician$76,000+21%
Carpenter$76,000+25%
Graphic designer$75,000+19%
Paramedic$75,000+23%
Plumber$73,000+14%
Social worker$65,000+9%
Auto mechanic$65,000+28%
Chef / head cook$64,000+3%
Construction laborer$60,000+28%
Truck driver (heavy)$60,000+3%
Bookkeeper$59,000+17%
Welder$58,000+8%
Real estate agent$58,000+9%
Administrative assistant$55,000+17%
Customer service representative$50,000+11%
Nursing assistant$48,000+13%
Cook$45,000+20%
Warehouse worker$45,000+11%
Childcare worker$40,000+14%
Hairdresser / stylist$39,000+8%
Retail salesperson$38,000+9%
Cashier$37,000+13%

Annual wages, all industries, full- and part-time workers, before tax. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. The last column shows how the California median compares with the national median for the same occupation.

Salary Predictor, our iPhone app, uses these tables to estimate pay for a given age, education and experience.

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Other states

All jobs in the United States

Sources

  1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: national estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
  2. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: state estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
  3. Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation (Table 5.3). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2023-2024.
  4. PINC-03: Educational attainment by total money earnings, work experience and age. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2026 ASEC, 2025 earnings.

U.S. data are works of the U.S. federal government and in the public domain.