State salary index

Salaries in California

Median annual wages for 200 occupations in California, ranked from highest to lowest. Click any occupation for the full wage distribution and how California compares with the other states.

Occupations ranked by median pay

Top 100 of 200 occupations with published data.

#	Occupation	Median annual	Employment
1	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$400,150	820
2	Neurologists	$357,080	1,090
3	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$353,900	10,670
4	Psychiatrists	$353,500	5,420
5	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$313,890	6,370
6	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$301,240	1,610
7	Nurse Anesthetists	$292,410	2,230
8	Physicians, All Other	$281,590	25,530
9	Radiologists	$270,560	690
10	Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric	$253,430	—
11	Family Medicine Physicians	$252,010	—
12	Dentists, All Other Specialists	$230,730	340
13	Chief Executives	$218,600	34,700
14	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$218,290	94,720
15	Pediatricians, General	$214,140	6,680
16	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$210,280	29,630
17	Natural Sciences Managers	$210,230	14,950
18	Physicists	$207,490	5,930
19	Nurse Midwives	$203,840	870
20	Podiatrists	$201,300	1,000
21	Lawyers	$195,080	95,770
22	Marketing Managers	$193,620	54,660
23	Physicians, Pathologists	$186,300	1,790
24	Cardiologists	$185,610	630
25	Computer Hardware Engineers	$185,180	19,820
26	Financial Managers	$180,770	93,310
27	Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other	$180,500	120
28	Materials Scientists	$177,030	1,030
29	Managers, All Other	$174,560	99,580
30	Software Developers	$174,410	284,390
31	Nuclear Engineers	$172,400	1,070
32	Database Architects	$170,160	6,210
33	Human Resources Managers	$170,080	27,450
34	Nurse Practitioners	$168,520	25,120
35	Public Relations Managers	$167,980	9,400
36	Advertising and Promotions Managers	$167,230	3,080
37	Compensation and Benefits Managers	$166,730	2,970
38	Radiation Therapists	$166,450	1,720
39	Dentists, General	$165,950	16,770
40	Physician Assistants	$165,650	13,600
41	Commercial Pilots	$165,590	4,900
42	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$165,110	17,350
43	Pharmacists	$164,610	34,030
44	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$163,960	13,200
45	Veterinarians	$163,920	9,170
46	Nuclear Medicine Technologists	$162,380	1,500
47	Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	$160,520	20,830
48	Air Traffic Controllers	$160,080	2,290
49	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	$159,950	31,370
50	Purchasing Managers	$159,830	7,470
51	Computer and Information Research Scientists	$159,100	8,440
52	Computer Network Architects	$158,870	14,870
53	Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	$158,130	520
54	Aerospace Engineers	$157,620	9,170
55	Psychologists, All Other	$157,540	1,600
56	Training and Development Managers	$156,260	6,680
57	Geography Teachers, Postsecondary	$146,040	280
58	Electrical Engineers	$144,040	24,230
59	Petroleum Engineers	$143,590	1,060
60	Data Scientists	$141,590	39,310
61	Medical and Health Services Managers	$141,480	75,090
62	Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	$141,180	1,910
63	Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance	$140,870	830
64	Medical Dosimetrists	$140,380	240
65	Registered Nurses	$140,270	338,940
66	Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	$139,720	1,460
67	Biochemists and Biophysicists	$139,580	3,240
68	Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	$139,420	1,130
69	Sales Engineers	$139,160	6,310
70	Information Security Analysts	$138,570	15,570
71	Art Directors	$137,780	12,430
72	Genetic Counselors	$137,650	440
73	Power Distributors and Dispatchers	$137,570	670
74	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	$137,360	770
75	Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	$137,280	2,720
76	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$136,990	29,830
77	Optometrists	$136,300	6,890
78	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$136,110	27,090
79	Statisticians	$135,960	2,480
80	Fundraising Managers	$135,870	5,430
81	Communications Teachers, Postsecondary	$135,000	3,140
82	Sales Managers	$134,910	112,440
83	Computer Occupations, All Other	$134,440	80,150
84	Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$133,230	1,410
85	Construction Managers	$133,160	34,750
86	Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	$132,960	1,650
87	Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other	$132,920	2,760
88	Industrial Production Managers	$132,620	25,130
89	Surgeons, All Other	$131,990	—
90	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$131,540	2,470
91	First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$131,210	4,550
92	Mechanical Engineers	$130,900	30,530
93	Engineers, All Other	$130,850	28,610
94	Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$130,680	3,810
95	Physical Scientists, All Other	$130,610	2,320
96	Special Effects Artists and Animators	$130,540	7,410
97	Actuaries	$130,510	1,280
98	English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	$130,490	5,460
99	Environmental Engineers	$130,410	4,550
100	Personal Financial Advisors	$130,330	32,200

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-25. bls.gov/oes