Salaries in California, United States
Reference period May 2025 · Data updated
California has a published median for 20 of the 20 occupations we track from this source.
The best-paid is lawyer at $195,080; the lowest of the tracked roles is paralegal at $77,390.
18 of these roles pay more than 3% above the national median here, 0 pay more than 3% below it and 2 are within 3%.
The largest gap is for school principal: 51% above the national figure.
Across all occupations the median wage is $58,240, against $50,980 nationally.
Its largest cities by GeoNames population are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose.
Pay by role in California
| Role | Median Observed | vs United States Derived |
|---|---|---|
| LawyerLawyers | $195,080 | +22% |
| Marketing ManagerMarketing Managers | $193,620 | +16% |
| Software EngineerSoftware Developers | $174,410 | +28% |
| DentistDentists, General | $165,950 | -3% |
| PharmacistPharmacists | $164,610 | +17% |
| School PrincipalEducation Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $159,950 | +51% |
| Electrical EngineerElectrical Engineers | $144,040 | +19% |
| Data ScientistData Scientists | $141,590 | +18% |
| Registered NurseRegistered Nurses | $140,270 | +44% |
| Cybersecurity AnalystInformation Security Analysts | $138,570 | +7% |
| Mechanical EngineerMechanical Engineers | $130,900 | +26% |
| ActuaryActuaries | $130,510 | +0% |
| Physical TherapistPhysical Therapists | $124,190 | +21% |
| Civil EngineerCivil Engineers | $122,500 | +21% |
| Project ManagerProject Management Specialists | $120,910 | +18% |
| Frontend DeveloperWeb Developers | $119,570 | +29% |
| Financial AnalystFinancial and Investment Analysts | $109,110 | +6% |
| TeacherSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $101,370 | +41% |
| AccountantAccountants and Auditors | $97,050 | +16% |
| ParalegalParalegals and Legal Assistants | $77,390 | +23% |
Roles without a link have too few reliable published figures, or differ too little from the national figure, for a separate page; their figure is shown here instead.
Largest cities
- Los Angeles: population 3,820,914 (GeoNames)
- San Diego: population 1,404,452 (GeoNames)
- San Jose: population 997,368 (GeoNames)
- San Francisco: population 827,526 (GeoNames)
- Fresno: population 542,107 (GeoNames)
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Source, method and data quality
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Reference period: May 2025. Updates: Yearly (spring release).
- Observed figures are copied from the published table without adjustment. Derived figures (rankings, ratios and differences) are calculated by us from those observed figures. No figure on this page is modeled or estimated.
- Relative standard error (PRSE) published per estimate.
- Place hierarchy from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data last updated: .
- Full method: methodology.