What are the Highest Paying Jobs in California? (Infographic)

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 Published 2022).

Highest Paying Jobs in California
Highest Paying Jobs in California

Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

All of the highest paying jobs in California are in the health care field. Surgeons are the highest paying jobs in California earning a mean annual salary of $351,580 followed by Pathologists earning $350,980 and the third-highest paying job in California are Radiologists earning $345,100. 

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

Surgeons, All Other$351,580
Physicians, Pathologists$350,980
Radiologists$345,100
Cardiologists$343,370
Anesthesiologists$318,030
Obstetricians and Gynecologists$309,610
Psychiatrists$305,290
Dermatologists$280,100
Family Medicine Physicians$261,260
Orthodontists$245,750
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

Infographics of the 10 Highest Paying Jobs in California

Highest Paying Jobs in California Infographic
Highest Paying Jobs in California Infographic

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 health care field. Almost all of the top 30 highest-paying jobs in California require an advanced degree in Medicine or Law. 

Surgeons, All Other$351,580
Physicians, Pathologists$350,980
Radiologists$345,100
Cardiologists$343,370
Anesthesiologists$318,030
Obstetricians and Gynecologists$309,610
Psychiatrists$305,290
Dermatologists$280,100
Family Medicine Physicians$261,260
Orthodontists$245,750
General Internal Medicine Physicians$242,260
Nurse Anesthetists$232,540
Chief Executives$230,730
Physicians, All Other$229,420
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$227,870
Neurologists$223,400
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$206,790
Pediatricians, General$198,000
Computer and Information Systems Managers$193,500
Natural Sciences Managers$192,750
Architectural and Engineering Managers$187,770
Dentists, All Other Specialists$181,590
Animal Scientists$177,430
Lawyers$176,610
Astronomers$175,820
Marketing Managers$175,150
Physicists$173,440
Computer Hardware Engineers$169,970
Financial Managers$166,220
Dentists, General$165,950
Top 30 Highest Paying Jobs in California

What are the Highest Paying Jobs in California that Does Not Require a Medical Degree or Law Degree? 

The top 5 highest paying jobs in California that don’t require a medical degree or law degree are Chief Executives, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Computer and Information Systems Managers, Natural Sciences Managers and Architectural and Engineering Managers. 

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

Chief Executives$230,730
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$227,870
Computer and Information Systems Managers$193,500
Natural Sciences Managers$192,750
Architectural and Engineering Managers$187,770
Animal Scientists$177,430
Astronomers$175,820
Marketing Managers$175,150
Computer Hardware Engineers$169,970
Financial Managers$166,220
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$165,280
Commercial Divers$161,210
Managers, All Other$160,770
Medical Dosimetrists$160,760
Petroleum Engineers$160,000
Commercial Pilots$157,990
Human Resources Managers$154,430
Advertising and Promotions Managers$152,490
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$150,760
Compensation and Benefits Managers$149,670
Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs in California that don’t Require an Advanced 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.

Surgeons, All Other$351,580
Physicians, Pathologists$350,980
Radiologists$345,100
Cardiologists$343,370
Anesthesiologists$318,030
Obstetricians and Gynecologists$309,610
Psychiatrists$305,290
Dermatologists$280,100
Family Medicine Physicians$261,260
Orthodontists$245,750
General Internal Medicine Physicians$242,260
Nurse Anesthetists$232,540
Chief Executives$230,730
Physicians, All Other$229,420
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$227,870
Neurologists$223,400
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$206,790
Pediatricians, General$198,000
Computer and Information Systems Managers$193,500
Natural Sciences Managers$192,750
Architectural and Engineering Managers$187,770
Dentists, All Other Specialists$181,590
Animal Scientists$177,430
Lawyers$176,610
Astronomers$175,820
Marketing Managers$175,150
Physicists$173,440
Computer Hardware Engineers$169,970
Financial Managers$166,220
Dentists, General$165,950
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary$165,280
Podiatrists$164,290
Commercial Divers$161,210
Managers, All Other$160,770
Medical Dosimetrists$160,760
Petroleum Engineers$160,000
Commercial Pilots$157,990
Human Resources Managers$154,430
Advertising and Promotions Managers$152,490
Nurse Practitioners$151,830
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$150,760
Compensation and Benefits Managers$149,670
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$147,740
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$147,680
Training and Development Managers$147,520
Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary$147,390
Nuclear Engineers$147,060
Software Developers$146,770
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$146,450
Pharmacists$146,140
Purchasing Managers$145,390
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$145,190
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary$144,520
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$144,160
Sales Managers$144,090
Art Directors$144,000
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$143,890
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$142,730
Public Relations Managers$142,720
Management Occupations$141,440
Air Traffic Controllers$141,200
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers$141,170
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary$140,380
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary$140,260
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary$139,630
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary$139,080
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$138,640
Radiation Therapists$138,400
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$137,600
Economists$137,350
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$137,170
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other$137,140
Legal Occupations$137,110
Nurse Midwives$137,070
Physician Assistants$136,920
Producers and Directors$136,770
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance$136,340
Sales Engineers$136,120
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$136,080
Information Security Analysts$135,200
History Teachers, Postsecondary$134,260
Aerospace Engineers$134,120
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$133,980
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary$133,900
Data Scientists$133,110
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$133,060
Medical and Health Services Managers$132,180
Business Teachers, Postsecondary$131,800
General and Operations Managers$131,080
Fundraising Managers$130,970
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes$130,930
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$130,330
Database Architects$130,310
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary$129,760
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$129,720
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$129,420
Computer Network Architects$129,240
Education Administrators, Postsecondary$129,030
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$128,790
Optometrists$128,540
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary$128,300
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary$128,280
Industrial Production Managers$128,180
Law Teachers, Postsecondary$126,770
Veterinarians$126,690
Electrical Engineers$126,640
Physical Scientists, All Other$126,490
Personal Financial Advisors$126,480
Nuclear Medicine Technologists$124,930
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$124,120
Registered Nurses$124,000
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$123,090
Construction Managers$122,830
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$122,790
Computer and Mathematical Occupations$122,200
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$120,540
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary$120,440
Atmospheric and Space Scientists$120,040
Computer Systems Analysts$119,460
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors$119,360
Political Scientists$119,160
Financial Risk Specialists$118,900
Engineers, All Other$117,990
Real Estate Brokers$117,820
Biochemists and Biophysicists$117,220
Mathematicians$117,070
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products$116,990
Actuaries$116,540
Genetic Counselors$115,900
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$115,420
Administrative Services Managers$115,290
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations$115,220
Environmental Engineers$115,160
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary$114,950
Computer Programmers$114,740
Hydrologists$114,730
Statisticians$114,360
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects$114,090
Emergency Management Directors$113,900
Mechanical Engineers$113,130
Materials Engineers$112,760
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$112,530
Psychologists, All Other$112,210
Computer Occupations, All Other$112,000
Writers and Authors$111,110
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$110,390
Civil Engineers$109,890
Facilities Managers$109,590
Industrial Engineers$109,460
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$109,410
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers$109,350
Project Management Specialists$108,990
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists$108,580
Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other$108,560
Architecture and Engineering Occupations$108,540
Web and Digital Interface Designers$108,310
Life Scientists, All Other$108,260
Dental Hygienists$108,200
Materials Scientists$108,120
Financial and Investment Analysts$108,060
Gambling Managers$107,800
Detectives and Criminal Investigators$107,650
Power Distributors and Dispatchers$107,600
Audiologists$106,940
Financial Examiners$106,890
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$106,850
Database Administrators$106,250
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$106,140
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$105,770
Occupational Therapists$105,760
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay$105,730
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers$105,700
Education Administrators, All Other$105,300
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$105,280
Athletes and Sports Competitors$105,250
Designers, All Other$104,940
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels$103,910
Physical Therapists$103,510
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$102,920
Speech-Language Pathologists$102,650
Sociologists$102,230
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers$102,150
Management Analysts$101,500
Gas Plant Operators$100,920
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists$100,800
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$100,790
Technical Writers$100,730
Boilermakers$100,310
Microbiologists$100,030
Jobs in California that Pays over $100,000

What are the Lowest Paying Jobs in California?

Below is a list of the 20 worst-paying jobs in California. Shampooer is the lowest paying job in California earning $29,790.

Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders$32,880
Taxi Drivers$32,680
Cashiers$32,650
Gambling Cage Workers$32,600
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$32,510
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop$32,470
Fast Food and Counter Workers$32,460
Manicurists and Pedicurists$32,420
Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners$32,380
Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders$32,260
Dishwashers$32,110
Amusement and Recreation Attendants$32,030
Cooks, Fast Food$31,930
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$31,770
Slaughterers and Meat Packers$31,760
Home Health and Personal Care Aides$31,740
Forest and Conservation Workers$31,520
Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers$31,510
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products$31,440
Shampooers$29,790
20 Worst Paying Jobs in California

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