California Jobs and Wages
Wages, unemployment, minimum wage, benefits, visa filings and federal openings for California from BLS, the Department of Labor and USAJOBS.
- Median wage
- $58,240 a year
- May 2025
- Unemployment rate
- 5.1%
- Sep 2026
- Minimum wage
- $16.90/hr
- State law
- Average weekly jobless benefit
- $371
- Sep 2026
Highest paying jobs in California
Occupations with at least 100 jobs
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| # | Occupation | Employment | Median wage | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 820 | $400,150 | $347,690 |
| 2 | Neurologists | 1,090 | $357,080 | $306,860 |
| 3 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 10,670 | $353,900 | $310,190 |
| 4 | Psychiatrists | 5,420 | $353,500 | $315,380 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 6,370 | $313,890 | $273,270 |
| 6 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 1,610 | $301,240 | $272,520 |
| 7 | Nurse Anesthetists | 2,230 | $292,410 | $283,780 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | 25,530 | $281,590 | $249,620 |
Most common jobs in California
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| # | Occupation | Employment | Median wage | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 970,150 | $34,320 | $36,420 |
| 2 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | 449,840 | $42,280 | $41,680 |
| 3 | Retail Salespersons | 376,460 | $38,440 | $42,950 |
| 4 | Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 355,500 | $44,710 | $45,590 |
| 5 | Registered Nurses | 338,940 | $140,270 | $150,280 |
| 6 | Cashiers | 336,110 | $37,100 | $40,060 |
| 7 | Office Clerks, General | 311,490 | $48,460 | $51,880 |
| 8 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 310,870 | $42,870 | $43,440 |
Wages by metro area
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA
- Chico, CA
- El Centro, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Hanford-Corcoran, CA
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Merced, CA
- Modesto, CA
- Napa, CA
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
- Redding, CA
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
- Salinas, CA
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
- Stockton-Lodi, CA
- Vallejo, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Yuba City, CA
- Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
- North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
Visa filings for jobs in this state
Employer filings with the Department of Labor
- H-1B (FY 2026 through Q3)82,020 certified, median offer $165,000
- PERM (FY 2026 through Q3)17,821 certified, median offer $145,311
Top H-1B employers in California
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| # | Employer | Certified | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google LLC | 5,105 | $200,000 |
| 2 | Apple Inc. | 4,304 | $178,673 |
| 3 | Meta Platforms, Inc | 2,964 | $217,864 |
| 4 | Amazon.com Services LLC | 2,009 | $178,300 |
| 5 | NVIDIA Corporation | 1,857 | $190,713 |
| 6 | Tesla, Inc. | 1,716 | $168,133 |
| 7 | TT Commerce & Global Services LLC | 868 | $196,000 |
| 8 | LinkedIn Corporation | 863 | $182,523 |
More California labor data
- Unemployment by county5.1% statewide
- Jobs by industry18.2 million jobs, +0.7% in a year
- Minimum wage$16.90 an hour
- Unemployment benefits$371 a week on average
- Union membership14.9% in 2025
- Federal job openings1,185 open now
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median wage in California?
- The median wage for all occupations in California is $58,240 a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the unemployment rate in California?
- California's unemployment rate was 5.1% in Sep 2026 (seasonally adjusted).
- What is the highest paying job in California?
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric have the highest median wage among occupations with at least 100 jobs in California: $400,150 a year.