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Jobs in California: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

California has 29,988 open job postings from 1,760 employers in our data. 62.9% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $175,000 a year, 9.1% are remote and 40% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesNew YorkNew York Official median wage: $59,500 Price level: 107.9 Paycheck power: $55,500 Click for the full page$55,500OhioOhio Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 92.8 Paycheck power: $53,000 Click for the full page$53,000CaliforniaCalifornia Official median wage: $58,000 Price level: 110.7 Paycheck power: $52,500$52,500IllinoisIllinois Official median wage: $52,000 Price level: 100 Paycheck power: $52,000 Click for the full page$52,000PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 97.6 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000North CarolinaNorth Carolina Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 94.3 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000TexasTexas Official median wage: $48,500 Price level: 97.1 Paycheck power: $50,000 Click for the full page$50,000FloridaFlorida Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 103.4 Paycheck power: $46,500 Click for the full page$46,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
California compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
29,988open postings from 1,760 employers
62.9%list a pay range
$175,000median posted pay
$58,000official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
5.4%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
674,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 3.6%

Pay transparency

California requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2023).

Metro areas in California

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA17,94173.7%$205,000
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA10,78462.4%$157,500
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA5,98162.2%$201,000
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA1,45250.9%$137,500
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA1,00348.9%$106,500
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA80838.6%$127,500
Stockton-Lodi, CA11023.5%$80,000
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA10338.7%$141,500

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in California run 11% above the national average, and housing runs 54% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $58,000, which is worth $52,500 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $175,000 is worth $158,000.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the California metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 110.7 11% above the US average (100)110.7HousingHousing: 154.3 54% above the US average (100)154.3GoodsGoods: 106.1 6% above the US average (100)106.1UtilitiesUtilities: 158.9 59% above the US average (100)158.9Other servicesOther services: 102.6 3% above the US average (100)102.6Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in California, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they payHome Health and Personal Care (970.2k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 970,150 workers Median wage: $34,500$34,500Fast Food and Counter Workers (449.8k)Fast Food and Counter Workers 449,840 workers Median wage: $42,500$42,500Retail Salespersons (376.5k)Retail Salespersons 376,460 workers Median wage: $38,500$38,500Laborers and Freight, Stock, a (355.5k)Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 355,500 workers Median wage: $44,500$44,500Registered Nurses (338.9k)Registered Nurses 338,940 workers Median wage: $140,500$140,500Cashiers (336.1k)Cashiers 336,110 workers Median wage: $37,000$37,000Office Clerks, General (311.5k)Office Clerks, General 311,490 workers Median wage: $48,500$48,500Stockers and Order Fillers (310.9k)Stockers and Order Fillers 310,870 workers Median wage: $43,000$43,000General and Operations Manager (300.8k)General and Operations Managers 300,840 workers Median wage: $124,500$124,500Software Developers (284.4k)Software Developers 284,390 workers Median wage: $174,500$174,500Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Official wage vs posted pay, same jobMedian official wage and median posted pay for the same jobs in California.Official wage vs posted pay, same jobOfficial median wage (BLS)Median posted paySoftware developersSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $174,500 Median posted pay: $210,000 Median posted pay is 20.4% aboveSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $174,500 Median posted pay: $210,000 Median posted pay is 20.4% above$174,500 / $210,000Accountants and auditorsAccountants and auditors Official median wage (BLS): $97,000 Median posted pay: $112,500 Median posted pay is 16% aboveAccountants and auditors Official median wage (BLS): $97,000 Median posted pay: $112,500 Median posted pay is 16% above$97,000 / $112,500Data scientistsData scientists Official median wage (BLS): $141,500 Median posted pay: $202,500 Median posted pay is 43% aboveData scientists Official median wage (BLS): $141,500 Median posted pay: $202,500 Median posted pay is 43% above$141,500 / $202,500HR specialistsHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $83,500 Median posted pay: $149,000 Median posted pay is 78.7% aboveHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $83,500 Median posted pay: $149,000 Median posted pay is 78.7% above$83,500 / $149,000Registered nursesRegistered nurses Official median wage (BLS): $140,500 Median posted pay: $116,500 Median posted pay is 16.9% belowRegistered nurses Official median wage (BLS): $140,500 Median posted pay: $116,500 Median posted pay is 16.9% below$140,500 / $116,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in California.Open postings by industry of the employerSoftware & TechnologySoftware & Technology 9,949 open postings 33.2% of this area's postings9,949Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 4,689 open postings 15.6% of this area's postings4,689Healthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 2,978 open postings 9.9% of this area's postings2,978Retail & E-commerceRetail & E-commerce 2,208 open postings 7.4% of this area's postings2,208OtherOther 1,921 open postings 6.4% of this area's postings1,921Energy & UtilitiesEnergy & Utilities 1,498 open postings 5% of this area's postings1,498Financial ServicesFinancial Services 1,331 open postings 4.4% of this area's postings1,331Consulting & Professional ServicesConsulting & Professional Services 1,158 open postings 3.9% of this area's postings1,158Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Andurilindustries: 1,574 postings
  2. Spacex: 870 postings
  3. Boxlunch: 528 postings
  4. Anthropic: 473 postings
  5. Nvidia: 429 postings

Federal government hiring

1199 federal job announcements open to the public list California, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $97,500. Agencies hiring most: Department of the Air Force Headquarters (134), Veterans Health Administration (133), U.S. Marine Corps (107), Commander, Navy Installations Command (57), Military Treatment Facilities under DHA (52). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
California62.9%$175,000$58,000110.7$52,500
Texas21.1%$140,000$48,50097.1$50,000
Florida17.3%$110,500$48,000103.4$46,500
New York62.1%$165,000$59,500107.9$55,500
Illinois43.2%$122,500$52,000100$52,000
Pennsylvania24.1%$117,500$49,50097.6$51,000
Ohio21.4%$128,500$49,50092.8$53,000

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · posted vs official chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in California. Methodology · All states (CSV)

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