Salaries · United States · California
Salaries in California 2026
The median pay for all jobs in California is $58,240 a year ($28.00 an hour), 14% above the US median of $50,980 (BLS, May 2025): the 10th highest of the 50 states and DC. Full-time workers living in California earn a median of $69,478 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024).
By Dominic Roworth · From BLS, Census and BEA data, checked 31 October 2026
Pay in California: the key figures
| Figure | California | United States | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, all jobs | $58,240 | $50,980 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Average (mean) pay | $80,690 | $69,770 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest-paid 10% earn under | $35,950 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% earn over | $159,080 | $128,560 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Jobs counted | 18,213,700 | 155,495,730 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Full-time workers living here, median | $69,478 ± $324 | $61,657 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B20018 |
| Median household income | $99,122 ± $310 | $80,734 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B19013 |
| Price level (US = 100) | 110.7 | 100.0 | BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 |
| Minimum wage | $16.90 | $7.25 | State labor department |
Take-home pay on the median
On $58,240, a single person keeps about $46,751 a year ($3,896 a month) after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, California income tax and state payroll contributions. With prices 11% above the US average, $58,240 here buys what $52,600 buys at average US prices.
| Median pay | $58,240 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | -$4,809 |
| Social Security | -$3,611 |
| Medicare | -$844 |
| California income tax | -$1,467 |
| State Disability Insurance (SDI, includes PFL) | -$757 |
| Take-home a year | $46,751 |
What drives pay in California
California's pay is split between very highly paid work and a very large low-wage care and service workforce. Information, which covers software publishing, data processing and hosting, and film, made up 11.8% of the state's GDP in 2025, about twice the US share of 5.7%, and computer and electronic product manufacturing added another 3.1% (US 1.0%), according to BEA. That pulls the top up: the highest-paid 10% earn over $159,080, against $128,560 nationally, and the mean for all jobs is $80,690.
At the other end, home health and personal care aides are the most common job, 970,150 of them on a median of $34,320. The state's In-Home Supportive Services program, which the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) expects to serve 875,344 people in 2026-27, pays a provider each recipient hires, often a relative, at a budgeted $22.36 an hour including benefits. State law lifts pay at the bottom too: since April 2024, workers covered by the fast food minimum wage law must get at least $20 an hour, and fast food and counter workers, the second most common job, have a median of $42,280.
The all-jobs median of $58,240 is 14% above the US and 10th of the 50 states and DC.
The economy is growing without adding many jobs. Real GDP rose 3.5% in 2025 (US 2.3%), yet the LAO says payroll employment has been essentially flat since January 2026, and unemployment was 5.1% in September. Income tax withholding in October 2026 was 11% higher than a year earlier, helped by stock payouts at two large technology firms.
The highest-paid jobs in California
Median annual pay, for jobs with at least 1,000 workers in the state (BLS, May 2025).
| Job | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Neurologists | 1,090 | $357,080 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 10,670 | $353,900 |
| Psychiatrists | 5,420 | $353,500 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 6,370 | $313,890 |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 1,610 | $301,240 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 2,230 | $292,410 |
| Physicians, All Other | 25,530 | $281,590 |
| Chief Executives | 34,700 | $218,600 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 94,720 | $218,290 |
| Pediatricians, General | 6,680 | $214,140 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 29,630 | $210,280 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 14,950 | $210,230 |
| Physicists | 5,930 | $207,490 |
| Podiatrists | 1,000 | $201,300 |
| Lawyers | 95,770 | $195,080 |
The most common jobs in California
The jobs with the most workers, and what they pay.
| Job | Workers | Median a year | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 970,150 | $34,320 | $16.50 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 449,840 | $42,280 | $20.33 |
| Retail Salespersons | 376,460 | $38,440 | $18.48 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 355,500 | $44,710 | $21.50 |
| Registered Nurses | 338,940 | $140,270 | $67.44 |
| Cashiers | 336,110 | $37,100 | $17.84 |
| Office Clerks, General | 311,490 | $48,460 | $23.30 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 310,870 | $42,870 | $20.61 |
| General and Operations Managers | 300,840 | $124,390 | $59.81 |
| Software Developers | 284,390 | $174,410 | $83.85 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 234,240 | $41,090 | $19.75 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 229,970 | $36,080 | $17.35 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 205,090 | $60,230 | $28.96 |
| Security Guards | 199,480 | $43,240 | $20.79 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 177,140 | $46,490 | yearly pay only |
Pay for careers we cover, in California
Official BLS medians for California; each links to the full salary guide with pay by state.
| Career | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist | 2,230 | $292,410 |
| Lawyer | 95,770 | $195,080 |
| Software Engineer | 284,390 | $174,410 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 25,120 | $168,520 |
| Dentist | 16,770 | $165,950 |
| Physician Assistant | 13,600 | $165,650 |
| Commercial Pilot | 4,900 | $165,590 |
| Pharmacist | 34,030 | $164,610 |
| Air Traffic Controller | 2,290 | $160,080 |
| Aerospace Engineer | 9,170 | $157,620 |
| Data Scientist | 39,310 | $141,590 |
| Elevator Technician | 1,910 | $141,180 |
| Registered Nurse | 338,940 | $140,270 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 15,570 | $138,570 |
| UX Designer | 27,090 | $136,110 |
| Actuary | 1,280 | $130,510 |
| Dental Hygienist | 24,500 | $124,930 |
| Project Manager | 114,380 | $120,910 |
| Financial Analyst | 45,380 | $109,110 |
| Accountant | 175,360 | $97,050 |
| Compliance Officer | 49,880 | $96,980 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | 12,590 | $86,100 |
| Flight Attendant | 15,840 | $82,170 |
| Paralegal | 47,130 | $77,390 |
| Electrician | 73,310 | $76,160 |
| Plumber | 47,660 | $72,830 |
| HVAC Technician | 35,130 | $72,560 |
| Welder | 26,060 | $58,060 |
California and its neighbors
| State | Median pay | Price level | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $58,240 | 110.7 | $52,600 |
| Arizona | $50,060 | 100.7 | $49,700 |
| Nevada | $47,660 | 100.0 | $47,700 |
| Oregon | $57,000 | 103.4 | $55,100 |
Limits
BLS figures cover jobs located in California, not the self-employed; Census figures cover people who live here. Take-home assumes a single filer with the standard deduction. More in our methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (tables B20018 and B19013)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (table SARPP), 2024
- Take-home pay: Paygrade's 2026 federal and state tax engine, see the methodology.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP by state and industry, 2025 (industry shares and growth rates are our calculation), data last updated 30 Sep 2026
- Legislative Analyst's Office: The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services, 18 Mar 2026
- California Department of Industrial Relations: Fast Food Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions, page revision dated September 2024, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Legislative Analyst's Office, EconTax Blog: Monthly Jobs Report (September), 16 Oct 2026
- Legislative Analyst's Office, EconTax Blog: Income Tax Withholding Tracker (October 2026), 30 Oct 2026
Related
- Salary comparison by city: what a salary is worth in another US city
- Salaries in the United States