Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The average salary in California is $83,172 per year (median, 2025). The highest-paying job in CA is Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric at $400,150. This page covers all 793 occupations tracked by BLS in California.
Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 | Last updated: 2026-05-19
How does California compare? Click any state for details.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job for the full breakdown.
| # | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $400,150 | $347,690 | 820 |
| 2 | Neurologists | $357,080 | $306,860 | 1,090 |
| 3 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $353,900 | $310,190 | 10,670 |
| 4 | Psychiatrists | $353,500 | $315,380 | 5,420 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $313,890 | $273,270 | 6,370 |
| 6 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $301,240 | $272,520 | 1,610 |
| 7 | Nurse Anesthetists | $292,410 | $283,780 | 2,230 |
| 8 | Radiologists | $270,560 | $309,990 | 690 |
| 9 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $253,430 | $258,550 | 0 |
| 10 | Family Medicine Physicians | $252,010 | $252,930 | 0 |
| 11 | Chief Executives | $218,600 | $272,920 | 34,700 |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $218,290 | $238,440 | 94,720 |
| 13 | Pediatricians, General | $214,140 | $221,480 | 6,680 |
| 14 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $210,280 | $213,110 | 29,630 |
| 15 | Natural Sciences Managers | $210,230 | $223,850 | 14,950 |
| 16 | Physicists | $207,490 | $201,930 | 5,930 |
| 17 | Nurse Midwives | $203,840 | $194,730 | 870 |
| 18 | Podiatrists | $201,300 | $212,350 | 1,000 |
| 19 | Lawyers | $195,080 | $230,040 | 95,770 |
| 20 | Marketing Managers | $193,620 | $207,860 | 54,660 |
| 21 | Physicians, Pathologists | $186,300 | $221,080 | 1,790 |
| 22 | Cardiologists | $185,610 | $296,940 | 630 |
| 23 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $185,180 | $190,590 | 19,820 |
| 24 | Financial Managers | $180,770 | $210,490 | 93,310 |
| 25 | Materials Scientists | $177,030 | $189,460 | 1,030 |
| 26 | Software Developers | $174,410 | $186,770 | 284,390 |
The average salary in California ($83,172) exceeds the national average.
The highest-paying job, Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric, pays $316,978 more than the CA average.
This page is part of our comprehensive Salary Statistics data collection.
All CA Jobs · Highest Paying in CA · Hourly Wages in CA · Employment Outlook in CA · Career Progression in CA · Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric Take-Home Pay (CA) · Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric COL-Adjusted (CA) · CA vs National
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All salary figures for California from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
For full methodology details, see our Methodology page. View all Data Sources.