Average Salary in California
Wages, household income and cost-of-living context for California. All figures from federal releases, vintage 2024.
- Mean annual wage$79,900Rank #5 of 51
- Median annual wage$56,940Rank #10 of 51
- Median household income$100,149ACS 2024 1-year
- Regional price parity110.7US = 100
- Adjusted mean wage$72,177Rank #8 at national prices
- Total employment18,057,850Wage & salary workers
What the numbers say
The mean of $79,900 is $22,960 (40.3 %) above the median of $56,940, reflecting a right-skewed wage distribution pulled up by high earners.
Prices in California are about 10.7 % above the national average (RPP 110.7, where US = 100). After the adjustment, every dollar earned in California buys what $72,177 would buy at national average prices.
Median household income in California is $100,149 (Census ACS 2024). That figure counts all income to all people in a household — two-earner couples, Social Security, self-employment earnings — and is not directly comparable to the per-worker wage figures above.
Pay for common occupations in California
Annual mean wage, cross-industry. Blank rows indicate BLS suppression for this state/occupation cell.
| Occupation | SOC | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | 23-1011 | $254,170 |
| Marketing Manager | 11-2021 | $206,150 |
| Software Developer | 15-1252 | $185,750 |
| Pharmacist | 29-1051 | $162,110 |
| Data Scientist | 15-2051 | $155,450 |
| Registered Nurse | 29-1141 | $148,330 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 17-2141 | $131,130 |
| Financial and Investment Analyst | 13-2051 | $128,860 |
Browse all 20 occupation pages →