What are the Highest Paying Jobs in California 2024? (And Lowest Paying Jobs)

Want to know what the highest paying jobs are in California? We pulled the latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the highest-paying jobs in California.

The salary information below are mean annual salaries. The information presented in this article is based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (State Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

Check out: Wealthiest Towns in California

Highest Paying Jobs in CA infographics
Highest Paying Jobs in California Infographics

What is the Highest Paying Job in California

Dermatologists in the highest paying job in California earning $371,450 a year.

Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

All of the top 10 highest paying jobs in California are in the healthcare field.

Dermatologists are the highest paying doctor in California earning a mean annual salary of $371,450 followed by Radiologists earning $339,140.

Doctor

The third-highest paying job in California are Cardiologists earning $332,920. 

These are the top 10 highest-paying jobs in California.

Dermatologists$371,450
Radiologists$339,140
Cardiologists$332,920
Psychiatrists$311,950
Surgeons, All Other$286,080
Chief Executives$275,040
Physicians, Pathologists$258,090
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons$257,690
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$252,110
Nurse Anesthetists$246,510
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

Infographics of the 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

Top 30 Highest Paying Jobs in California

Below are the top 30 highest paying jobs in California. As you can see below more than half of the highest paying jobs in California are in the healthcare field. 

Lawyer

Almost all of the top 30 best paying jobs in California require an advanced degree in Medicine or Law. 

Dermatologists$371,450
Radiologists$339,140
Cardiologists$332,920
Psychiatrists$311,950
Surgeons, All Other$286,080
Chief Executives$275,040
Physicians, Pathologists$258,090
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons$257,690
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$252,110
Nurse Anesthetists$246,510
Neurologists$244,790
Family Medicine Physicians$240,770
Computer and Information Research Scientists$232,210
Physicians, All Other$230,860
Emergency Medicine Physicians$227,850
Pediatricians, General$217,480
General Internal Medicine Physicians$215,340
Computer and Information Systems Managers$215,130
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$214,980
Natural Sciences Managers$203,210
Lawyers$201,530
Architectural and Engineering Managers$193,600
Financial Managers$187,410
Marketing Managers$186,550
Managers, All Other$184,990
Software Developers$182,570
Podiatrists$180,440
Advertising and Promotions Managers$179,680
Medical Dosimetrists$176,170
Public Relations Managers$172,590
Top 30 Highest Paying Jobs in California

What is the Highest Paying Job in California with a Bachelor’s Degree? 

CEO is the highest paying job in California with a Bachelor’s degree. CEOs earn $275,040 a year.

CEO

20 Highest Paying Jobs in California with a Bachelor’s Degree

The top 5 highest paying jobs in California with a bachelor’s degree are Chief Executives, Airline Pilots,  Computer and Information Research Scientists, Computer and Information Systems Managers and Natural Sciences Managers. 

Manager

Below is a list of the top 20 highest-paying jobs in California that do not require an advanced medical degree or law degree.

Chief Executives$275,040
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$252,110
Computer and Information Research Scientists$232,210
Computer and Information Systems Managers$215,130
Natural Sciences Managers$203,210
Architectural and Engineering Managers$193,600
Financial Managers$187,410
Marketing Managers$186,550
Managers, All Other$184,990
Software Developers$182,570
Advertising and Promotions Managers$179,680
Public Relations Managers$172,590
Human Resources Managers$169,760
Computer Hardware Engineers$166,940
Physicists$166,000
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$161,460
Ship Engineers$158,430
Management Occupations$155,120
Nuclear Engineers$154,890
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$154,720
High Paying Jobs that Don’re Require a Medical or Law Degree

What Jobs in California Pay Over $100,000 a Year?

Below you will find jobs in California that pay over $100,000 a year.

Dermatologists$371,450
Radiologists$339,140
Cardiologists$332,920
Psychiatrists$311,950
Surgeons, All Other$286,080
Chief Executives$275,040
Physicians, Pathologists$258,090
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons$257,690
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$252,110
Nurse Anesthetists$246,510
Neurologists$244,790
Family Medicine Physicians$240,770
Computer and Information Research Scientists$232,210
Physicians, All Other$230,860
Emergency Medicine Physicians$227,850
Pediatricians, General$217,480
General Internal Medicine Physicians$215,340
Computer and Information Systems Managers$215,130
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$214,980
Natural Sciences Managers$203,210
Lawyers$201,530
Architectural and Engineering Managers$193,600
Financial Managers$187,410
Marketing Managers$186,550
Managers, All Other$184,990
Software Developers$182,570
Podiatrists$180,440
Advertising and Promotions Managers$179,680
Medical Dosimetrists$176,170
Public Relations Managers$172,590
Human Resources Managers$169,760
Nurse Midwives$169,530
Computer Hardware Engineers$166,940
Physicists$166,000
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$161,460
Ship Engineers$158,430
Nurse Practitioners$158,130
Management Occupations$155,120
Nuclear Engineers$154,890
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$154,720
Purchasing Managers$154,450
Legal Occupations$153,910
Database Architects$152,960
Animal Scientists$152,140
Media and Communication Workers, All Other$152,090
Pharmacists$151,280
Electrical Engineers$150,940
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$150,690
Compensation and Benefits Managers$150,320
Producers and Directors$150,240
Training and Development Managers$150,010
Art Directors$149,560
Sales Managers$148,920
General and Operations Managers$148,270
Data Scientists$147,390
Web and Digital Interface Designers$145,560
Computer Network Architects$145,390
Astronomers$145,370
Medical and Health Services Managers$145,090
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$145,020
Physician Assistants$144,520
Computer and Mathematical Occupations$143,670
Petroleum Engineers$143,060
Commercial Pilots$142,350
Sales Engineers$142,230
Radiation Therapists$141,910
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes$140,810
Aerospace Engineers$139,840
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary$139,510
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$138,610
Personal Financial Advisors$138,260
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$138,170
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$137,690
Information Security Analysts$137,600
Economists$137,090
Statisticians$136,210
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects$135,960
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$135,360
Air Traffic Controllers$135,320
Biochemists and Biophysicists$135,220
Fundraising Managers$135,020
Special Effects Artists and Animators$134,820
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary$134,520
Industrial Production Managers$134,500
Veterinarians$134,190
Physical Scientists, All Other$133,890
Registered Nurses$133,340
Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary$132,860
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary$132,410
Genetic Counselors$131,800
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$131,020
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other$130,580
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary$130,540
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$129,840
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$129,430
Life Scientists, All Other$129,350
Writers and Authors$129,340
Computer Systems Analysts$129,330
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$129,100
Nuclear Medicine Technologists$128,900
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$128,850
Education Administrators, Postsecondary$128,600
Business Teachers, Postsecondary$128,510
Optometrists$128,160
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$127,720
Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other$127,620
Commercial Divers$127,570
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$127,090
Actuaries$126,700
Mathematicians$126,580
Hydrologists$126,500
Computer Occupations, All Other$126,190
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products$125,740
Construction Managers$125,530
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$125,270
Political Scientists$124,840
Engineers, All Other$124,640
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$124,450
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$124,050
Financial Risk Specialists$123,590
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers$123,160
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$123,070
Computer Programmers$122,660
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$122,520
Emergency Management Directors$122,390
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors$122,230
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$121,680
History Teachers, Postsecondary$121,470
Technical Writers$120,940
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$120,200
Education Administrators, All Other$119,880
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary$119,790
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations$119,400
Project Management Specialists$119,130
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary$118,880
Administrative Services Managers$118,720
Mechanical Engineers$118,200
Chemical Engineers$117,900
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary$117,620
Industrial Engineers$117,370
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$116,880
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$116,780
Financial and Investment Analysts$116,480
Psychologists, All Other$116,420
Architecture and Engineering Occupations$116,250
Power Distributors and Dispatchers$114,730
Law Teachers, Postsecondary$114,610
Environmental Engineers$114,500
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers$114,480
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers$114,480
Database Administrators$114,240
Physical Therapists$114,230
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$113,750
Materials Engineers$113,660
Civil Engineers$113,290
Biological Scientists, All Other$113,250
Facilities Managers$112,680
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$112,210
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$112,080
Dental Hygienists$111,580
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$111,440
Detectives and Criminal Investigators$110,320
Audiologists$109,800
Occupational Therapists$109,220
Agricultural Engineers$109,130
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists$108,990
Speech-Language Pathologists$108,960
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary$108,770
Gambling Managers$108,680
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels$108,620
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary$108,240
Sociologists$107,960
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations$107,330
School Psychologists$106,890
Editors$105,450
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$105,130
Microbiologists$105,060
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers$104,680
Landscape Architects$104,660
Gas Plant Operators$104,580
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay$104,570
Atmospheric and Space Scientists$104,510
Web Developers$104,370
Artists and Related Workers, All Other$104,360
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$104,150
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$104,010
Financial Examiners$103,370
Power Plant Operators$103,320
Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other$103,300
Management Analysts$103,180
Materials Scientists$102,720
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents$102,380
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance$102,110
Operations Research Analysts$101,720
Education Teachers, Postsecondary$101,630
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$101,190
Labor Relations Specialists$100,780
Urban and Regional Planners$100,630
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$100,550
Jobs that Pay over $100,000 a year in California

What is the Lowest Paying Job in California?

Home Health and Personal Care Aides are the lowest paying jobs in California earning a mean annual salary of $32,760.

What are the Lowest Paying Jobs in California?

Below is a list of the 20 lowest paying jobs in California.

The three lowest paying jobs in California are Home Health Aides, Shampooers and Forest and Conservation Workers.

The lowest paying job in California earns a mere 9.5% of the highest paying job in California!

Home Health and Personal Care Aides$32,760
Shampooers$33,030
Forest and Conservation Workers$33,430
Amusement and Recreation Attendants$33,850
Sewers, Hand$34,010
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$34,020
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop$34,030
Manicurists and Pedicurists$34,110
Slaughterers and Meat Packers$34,160
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$34,280
Fast Food and Counter Workers$34,530
Cooks, Fast Food$34,550
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$34,790
Dishwashers$34,970
Cashiers$34,970
Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$35,010
Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers$35,030
Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$35,200
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$35,330
Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders$35,470
Lowest Paying Jobs in California

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