California pay rankings
Rankings use the mean annual wage and include only occupations with at least 1,000 jobs in California, so tiny occupations do not dominate the list.
Top 25 by mean annual wage| # | Occupation | Employment | Mean annual wage | Median annual wage |
|---|
| 1 | Psychiatrists | 5,420 | $315,380 | $353,500 |
| 2 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 10,670 | $310,190 | $353,900 |
| 3 | Neurologists | 1,090 | $306,860 | $357,080 |
| 4 | Nurse Anesthetists | 2,230 | $283,780 | $292,410 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 6,370 | $273,270 | $313,890 |
| 6 | Chief Executives | 34,700 | $272,920 | $218,600 |
| 7 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 1,610 | $272,520 | $301,240 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | 25,530 | $249,620 | $281,590 |
| 9 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 94,720 | $238,440 | $218,290 |
| 10 | Lawyers | 95,770 | $230,040 | $195,080 |
| 11 | Natural Sciences Managers | 14,950 | $223,850 | $210,230 |
| 12 | Pediatricians, General | 6,680 | $221,480 | $214,140 |
| 13 | Physicians, Pathologists | 1,790 | $221,080 | $186,300 |
| 14 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | 29,630 | $213,110 | $210,280 |
| 15 | Podiatrists | 1,000 | $212,350 | $201,300 |
| 16 | Financial Managers | 93,310 | $210,490 | $180,770 |
| 17 | Marketing Managers | 54,660 | $207,860 | $193,620 |
| 18 | Commercial Pilots | 4,900 | $202,040 | $165,590 |
| 19 | Physicists | 5,930 | $201,930 | $207,490 |
| 20 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 17,350 | $196,500 | $165,110 |
| 21 | Human Resources Managers | 27,450 | $191,920 | $170,080 |
| 22 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 19,820 | $190,590 | $185,180 |
| 23 | Managers, All Other | 99,580 | $189,520 | $174,560 |
| 24 | Materials Scientists | 1,030 | $189,460 | $177,030 |
| 25 | Software Developers | 284,390 | $186,770 | $174,410 |
Top 25 by number of jobs| # | Occupation | Employment | Mean annual wage |
|---|
| 1 | Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 970,150 | $36,420 |
| 2 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | 449,840 | $41,680 |
| 3 | Retail Salespersons | 376,460 | $42,950 |
| 4 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 355,500 | $45,590 |
| 5 | Registered Nurses | 338,940 | $150,280 |
| 6 | Cashiers | 336,110 | $40,060 |
| 7 | Office Clerks, General | 311,490 | $51,880 |
| 8 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 310,870 | $43,440 |
| 9 | General and Operations Managers | 300,840 | $152,250 |
| 10 | Software Developers | 284,390 | $186,770 |
| 11 | Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 234,240 | $44,210 |
| 12 | Waiters and Waitresses | 229,970 | $44,600 |
| 13 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 205,090 | $62,020 |
| 14 | Security Guards | 199,480 | $44,920 |
| 15 | Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 177,140 | $47,300 |
| 16 | Customer Service Representatives | 176,850 | $54,640 |
| 17 | Accountants and Auditors | 175,360 | $103,760 |
| 18 | Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 172,260 | $37,860 |
| 19 | Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 158,630 | $57,710 |
| 20 | Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 156,110 | $95,130 |
| 21 | Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 155,160 | $95,670 |
| 22 | Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 155,000 | $101,970 |
| 23 | Cooks, Restaurant | 152,250 | $45,020 |
| 24 | Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 151,870 | $60,830 |
| 25 | First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 149,230 | $82,290 |
Lowest 25 by mean annual wage (1,000+ jobs)| # | Occupation | Employment | Mean annual wage |
|---|
| 1 | Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 970,150 | $36,420 |
| 2 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 5,750 | $37,350 |
| 3 | Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 172,260 | $37,860 |
| 4 | Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 56,920 | $38,580 |
| 5 | Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 1,420 | $38,680 |
| 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 9,270 | $38,930 |
| 7 | Taxi Drivers | 3,880 | $39,080 |
| 8 | Dishwashers | 74,160 | $39,710 |
| 9 | Manicurists and Pedicurists | 39,210 | $39,730 |
| 10 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 21,940 | $39,750 |
| 11 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 16,460 | $39,770 |
| 12 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 41,100 | $39,900 |
| 13 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | 79,730 | $40,010 |
| 14 | Cashiers | 336,110 | $40,060 |
| 15 | Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other | 3,590 | $40,070 |
| 16 | School Bus Monitors | 1,260 | $40,120 |
| 17 | Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 3,850 | $40,320 |
| 18 | Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers | 4,360 | $40,400 |
| 19 | Gambling Cage Workers | 2,020 | $40,540 |
| 20 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 75,460 | $40,660 |
| 21 | Food Processing Workers, All Other | 7,140 | $40,760 |
| 22 | Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 6,170 | $41,000 |
| 23 | Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 46,030 | $41,020 |
| 24 | Sewing Machine Operators | 13,240 | $41,060 |
| 25 | Gambling Dealers | 15,050 | $41,140 |