California ranks #10 of 51 for median salary in 2026.
Median Salary by State
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Eight state-specific guides. Each one is a full long-form page — not a calculator with a querystring. Tap any card to open the California edition.
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Source: BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Updated 2025-04-01. Click any state for the full breakdown.
California salary is $56,940 as of May 2024, according to BLS OEWS. That puts California at rank #10 of 50 US states, above the national average of $50,568.384.
Among California's neighbors, Oregon shows $53,390, Nevada shows $46,440, Arizona shows $48,810. Use the CalcFi compare view to line all of them up: /maps/compare?cat=salary&states=ca,or,nv,az. Nearby states share labor markets and housing corridors, so the comparison is usually the most relevant one.
Top California metros include Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. City-level salary data drops in Q3 2026 once BLS releases its metro-area tables for the year. Sacramento is the state capital. Until then, the state-level number is the best available read.
A $56,940 salary in California tracks the state median reported by BLS OEWS. "Good" depends on your metro, occupation, and household size. Use the CalcFi paycheck calculator for take-home and the cost-of-living comparison to see how far that salary stretches in your city.
15 cities ranked by median salary by state. Higher is better.
Note: City-level wage data lands in Phase 2 (BLS OEWS metro). Until then, household income from Census ACS — real city number, different denominator than state map.
Median annual wages for all occupations, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. State-level values are OEWS "A_MEDIAN" for cross-industry all-occupations.