Average Salary in California and Cost of Living

Average and median wage in California

Half of the 18,213,700 workers in California earn less than $58,240 a year, the median wage, while the average pay is $80,690, or $38.79 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% make $35,950 or less and the top 10% $159,080 or more. The average is 16% more than the U.S. average ($69,770) and the median 14% more than the U.S. median ($50,980).

$36K10th
$42K25th
$58KMedian
$98K75th
$159K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay level	California per year	Per hour*	U.S. per year
Average	$80,690	$38.79	$69,770
Median	$58,240	$28.00	$50,980
10th percentile	$35,950	$17.28	$31,200
25th percentile	$41,600	$20.00	$37,590
75th percentile	$97,880	$47.06	$80,520
90th percentile	$159,080	$76.48	$128,560

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Statewide figures include every employer in the state, metro and rural. Median vs. average salary · reading percentiles.

Average salary by city in California

San Jose$119,230
San Francisco$100,220
San Diego$79,060
Los Angeles$77,270
Sacramento$77,150
Vallejo$74,900
Santa Rosa$73,640
Santa Cruz$73,140
Napa$72,110
Oxnard$71,810
Santa Maria$71,660
San Luis Obispo$70,150
Modesto$67,230
Yuba City$66,290
Chico$65,420
Redding$65,320
Riverside$65,160
Salinas$65,160
Stockton$64,950
Bakersfield$64,650
Hanford$64,230
Fresno$63,820
El Centro$61,630
Merced$61,520
Visalia$58,390

Map of California metro areas

Loading map…

lower average salaryhigher average salary

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Salary, take-home pay and cost of living by city

City	Average	Median	Take-home*	Cost of living	Home value
San Jose	$119,230	$84,050	$85,712	110	$1,610,466
San Francisco	$100,220	$74,260	$74,106	116	$1,149,215
San Diego	$79,060	$58,690	$61,185	112	$946,365
Los Angeles	$77,270	$55,850	$60,078	114	$968,608
Sacramento	$77,150	$59,750	$60,006	107	$582,707
Vallejo	$74,900	$58,620	$58,602	108	$576,614
Santa Rosa	$73,640	$56,850	$57,817	108	$796,761
Santa Cruz	$73,140	$54,730	$57,505	110	$1,157,157
Napa	$72,110	$55,210	$56,863	113	$890,662
Oxnard	$71,810	$52,510	$56,676	111	$883,047
Santa Maria	$71,660	$51,690	$56,582	109	$1,005,339
San Luis Obispo	$70,150	$50,770	$55,641	109	$909,699
Modesto	$67,230	$50,610	$53,820	104	$468,302
Yuba City	$66,290	$49,970	$53,201	104	$432,169
Chico	$65,420	$48,050	$52,582	101	$401,581
Redding	$65,320	$48,920	$52,500	101	$375,604
Riverside	$65,160	$48,400	$52,396	106	$585,378
Salinas	$65,160	$47,380	$52,396	109	$850,461
Stockton	$64,950	$48,990	$52,213	105	$531,785
Bakersfield	$64,650	$47,470	$52,027	101	$364,264
Hanford	$64,230	$48,470	$51,697	102	$365,078
Fresno	$63,820	$46,910	$51,423	102	$409,749
El Centro	$61,630	$45,140	$49,810	95	$379,330
Merced	$61,520	$47,220	$49,728	98	$419,171
Visalia	$58,390	$45,130	$47,400	100	$363,064

*Average salary after federal and state income tax and payroll taxes for a single filer. Cost of living: BEA price parity, U.S. = 100.

Highest-paying jobs in California

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric · San Jose$584,430
Surgeons, All Other · Oxnard$485,820
Cardiologists · San Diego$443,090
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers · Bakersfield$390,450
Psychiatrists · San Jose$364,570
Psychiatrists · Los Angeles$358,510
Radiologists · Los Angeles$356,680
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric · Los Angeles$355,610
General Internal Medicine Physicians · Santa Cruz$350,220
Physicians, All Other · Chico$348,950

Most common jobs in California

Job	Jobs statewide	Average	Median	Highest city average
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	970,150	$36,420	$34,320	$40,520
Fast Food and Counter Workers	449,840	$41,680	$42,280	$44,980
Retail Salespersons	376,460	$42,950	$38,440	$47,420
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	355,500	$45,590	$44,710	$51,280
Registered Nurses	338,940	$150,280	$140,270	$194,950
Cashiers	336,110	$40,060	$37,100	$45,090
Office Clerks, General	311,490	$51,880	$48,460	$61,400
Stockers and Order Fillers	310,870	$43,440	$42,870	$48,710
General and Operations Managers	300,840	$152,250	$124,390	$190,310
Software Developers	284,390	$186,770	$174,410	$221,710

Jobs, average and median: BLS statewide estimates. Highest city average: best-paid metro area we cover in the state.

Average salary by job family in California

Job family	Average	Median	Jobs
Legal	$174,130	$129,550	158,370
Management	$166,140	$143,220	1,330,280
Computer and Mathematical	$151,880	$138,670	717,740
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	$133,180	$123,330	990,550
Architecture and Engineering	$128,910	$124,010	327,600
Life, Physical, and Social Science	$109,910	$101,700	206,700
Business and Financial Operations	$106,190	$96,110	1,265,010
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media	$104,120	$79,520	338,230
Educational Instruction and Library	$81,870	$69,190	1,087,510
Construction and Extraction	$78,280	$71,670	672,770
Community and Social Service	$73,710	$62,590	407,070
Protective Service	$71,870	$51,700	461,860
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	$71,370	$64,660	546,040
Sales and Related	$61,710	$45,400	1,454,670
Office and Administrative Support	$59,330	$54,900	1,878,550
Production	$54,930	$47,860	744,730
Transportation and Material Moving	$53,010	$45,850	1,504,070
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance	$47,220	$44,250	509,190
Personal Care and Service	$46,580	$39,500	408,180
Food Preparation and Serving Related	$43,930	$40,250	1,622,960
Healthcare Support	$41,640	$35,950	1,373,820
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	$39,990	$35,890	207,800

California income tax and take-home pay

Take-home figures on these pages apply California's 2025 income tax rules for a single filer with the standard deduction, plus federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security and Medicare. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

California paycheck calculator

Cost of living: California vs other states

California at a glance

$4.05 trillionstate GDP (BEA, 2024)

39,242,785population (Census, 2023)

2,124reported crimes per 100,000 residents (FBI, statewide)

Average salary in other states

Salary in California: questions

What is the average salary in California?

$80,690 a year across all jobs, according to BLS statewide estimates (OEWS, May 2025). That is 16% more than the U.S. average ($69,770).

What is the median salary in California?

$58,240 a year: half of California workers earn more and half earn less. The median is lower than the average because a minority of high earners lifts the average.

What is the average hourly wage in California?

$38.79 an hour on average, and $28.00 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

Which city in California pays the most?

San Jose, with an average of $119,230 a year among the metro areas we cover.

Is California expensive to live in?

BEA puts California prices 11% above the U.S. average (price parity 110.7). Within the state, San Francisco 116, Los Angeles 114, Napa 113 are the most expensive metros.

Sources and how to read this page

Statewide figures: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025, all occupations and every employer in the state (metro and rural areas).
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. City figures: the metro areas we cover in California.
Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
Population and median household income: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent and property crimes reported by agencies statewide, latest 12 months available.

Read the full methodology. Spotted an error? Tell us.