A complete 2026 pay reference for California: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $738,400 | $561,200 | $959,900 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $586,500 | $445,800 | $762,500 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $544,600 | $413,900 | $707,900 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $378,200 | $287,400 | $491,600 |
| 5 | AI Engineer | Technology | $345,700 | $262,700 | $449,400 |
| 6 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $345,500 | $262,600 | $449,100 |
| 7 | Investment Banker | Finance | $313,300 | $238,100 | $407,300 |
| 8 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $298,200 | $226,600 | $387,600 |
| 9 | Dentist | Healthcare | $277,800 | $211,200 | $361,200 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $273,600 | $207,900 | $355,700 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $263,800 | $200,500 | $343,000 |
| 12 | Product Manager | Technology | $247,500 | $188,100 | $321,800 |
| 13 | Data Scientist | Technology | $241,000 | $183,200 | $313,300 |
| 14 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $241,000 | $183,100 | $313,300 |
| 15 | IT Manager | Technology | $232,400 | $176,600 | $302,100 |
| 16 | Data Engineer | Technology | $231,200 | $175,700 | $300,600 |
| 17 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $228,000 | $173,200 | $296,300 |
| 18 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $220,800 | $167,800 | $287,000 |
| 19 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $219,800 | $167,100 | $285,800 |
| 20 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $219,800 | $167,100 | $285,800 |
| 21 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $217,500 | $165,300 | $282,700 |
| 22 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $215,400 | $163,700 | $280,000 |
| 23 | Software Engineer | Technology | $215,000 | $163,400 | $279,400 |
| 24 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $215,000 | $163,400 | $279,400 |
| 25 | Controller | Finance | $214,900 | $163,300 | $279,400 |
| 26 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $212,900 | $161,800 | $276,700 |
| 27 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $210,900 | $160,300 | $274,200 |
| 28 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $205,400 | $156,100 | $267,000 |
| 29 | Backend Developer | Technology | $204,900 | $155,700 | $266,300 |
| 30 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $204,600 | $155,500 | $266,000 |
| 31 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $200,700 | $152,500 | $260,900 |
| 32 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $197,000 | $149,700 | $256,100 |
| 33 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $193,300 | $146,900 | $251,200 |
| 34 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $189,100 | $143,700 | $245,800 |
| 35 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $188,300 | $143,100 | $244,800 |
| 36 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $182,100 | $138,400 | $236,700 |
| 37 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $179,800 | $136,600 | $233,700 |
| 38 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $174,900 | $132,900 | $227,300 |
| 39 | Actuary | Finance | $171,400 | $130,300 | $222,800 |
| 40 | School Principal | Education | $169,400 | $128,700 | $220,200 |
| 41 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $166,300 | $126,400 | $216,300 |
| 42 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $162,700 | $123,700 | $211,600 |
| 43 | General Manager | Business & Management | $161,800 | $123,000 | $210,300 |
| 44 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $160,000 | $121,600 | $207,900 |
| 45 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $158,900 | $120,700 | $206,500 |
| 46 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $158,900 | $120,700 | $206,500 |
| 47 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $154,800 | $117,600 | $201,200 |
| 48 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $153,600 | $116,700 | $199,700 |
| 49 | College Professor | Education | $151,900 | $115,400 | $197,400 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $151,800 | $115,400 | $197,400 |
| 51 | Data Analyst | Technology | $150,000 | $114,000 | $195,000 |
| 52 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $146,200 | $111,100 | $190,100 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $144,800 | $110,100 | $188,300 |
| 54 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $144,100 | $109,600 | $187,400 |
| 55 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $143,200 | $108,800 | $186,200 |
| 56 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $143,200 | $108,800 | $186,200 |
| 57 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $142,900 | $108,600 | $185,700 |
| 58 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $142,800 | $108,600 | $185,700 |
| 59 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $142,800 | $108,600 | $185,700 |
| 60 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $142,600 | $108,400 | $185,400 |
| 61 | Animator | Creative & Media | $138,700 | $105,400 | $180,300 |
| 62 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $137,800 | $104,700 | $179,100 |
| 63 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $136,500 | $103,700 | $177,400 |
| 64 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $132,000 | $100,300 | $171,600 |
| 65 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $131,000 | $99,600 | $170,300 |
| 66 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $130,000 | $98,800 | $168,900 |
| 67 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $126,000 | $95,700 | $163,800 |
| 68 | Police Officer | Public Service | $125,700 | $95,600 | $163,500 |
| 69 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $120,400 | $91,500 | $156,500 |
| 70 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $117,900 | $89,600 | $153,300 |
| 71 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $115,100 | $87,500 | $149,600 |
| 72 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $112,400 | $85,500 | $146,200 |
| 73 | Firefighter | Public Service | $110,600 | $84,100 | $143,800 |
| 74 | High School Teacher | Education | $110,300 | $83,800 | $143,400 |
| 75 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $108,900 | $82,700 | $141,500 |
| 76 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $108,700 | $82,600 | $141,300 |
| 77 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $107,500 | $81,700 | $139,700 |
| 78 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $107,200 | $81,400 | $139,300 |
| 79 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $106,200 | $80,700 | $138,100 |
| 80 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $105,700 | $80,300 | $137,300 |
| 81 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $100,600 | $76,500 | $130,800 |
| 82 | Sales Representative | Sales | $99,300 | $75,500 | $129,100 |
| 83 | School Counselor | Education | $96,900 | $73,700 | $126,000 |
| 84 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $96,400 | $73,300 | $125,400 |
| 85 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $96,400 | $73,300 | $125,400 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $96,100 | $73,100 | $125,000 |
| 87 | Social Worker | Public Service | $90,900 | $69,000 | $118,100 |
| 88 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $89,300 | $67,900 | $116,100 |
| 89 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $88,900 | $67,500 | $115,500 |
| 90 | Paralegal | Legal | $86,300 | $65,600 | $112,200 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $86,000 | $65,300 | $111,800 |
| 92 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $86,000 | $65,400 | $111,800 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $84,400 | $64,100 | $109,700 |
| 94 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $80,300 | $61,000 | $104,300 |
| 95 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $78,000 | $59,300 | $101,400 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $74,500 | $56,600 | $96,900 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $70,600 | $53,700 | $91,800 |
| 98 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $65,500 | $49,800 | $85,100 |
| 99 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $61,600 | $46,800 | $80,100 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $53,600 | $40,700 | $69,600 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in California (with growth outlook)
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