Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in California is Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric, with a median salary of $400,150 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in CA based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025
See how California compares to other states. Click any state for its top-paying jobs.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | 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 | N/A |
| 10 | Family Medicine Physicians | $252,010 | $252,930 | N/A |
| 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 |
The top-paying careers in California are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric, pays $311,133 more than the state average of $89,016 per year.
At the 90th percentile, experienced Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric professionals in CA can earn up to $499,330 annually — making it one of the most lucrative career paths in the state.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $177,030, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
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See how California's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.