Average Salaries in El Centro, CA
Explore salaries across 223 occupations in El Centro, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $68.9K, +11.9% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 223 occupations and 56,570 total jobs in El Centro, CA.
How the metro compares
El Centro, CA pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
El Centro, CA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Family Medicine Physicians. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in El Centro, CA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in El Centro, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $225.4K | 60 |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Police And Detectives | $177.6K | 50 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $166.1K | 50 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $166.0K | 40 |
| Pharmacists | $161.6K | 80 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten Through Secondary | $158.3K | 190 |
| Physician Assistants | $154.8K | 40 |
| Chief Executives | $152.8K | 80 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $146.7K | 60 |
| School Psychologists | $140.4K | 70 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in El Centro, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 7,220 | $33.4K |
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 3,300 | $36.4K |
| Cashiers | 2,150 | $34.8K |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,860 | $35.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,670 | $36.6K |
| Correctional Officers And Jailers | 1,320 | $104.1K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,310 | $39.1K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,210 | $40.4K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,070 | $36.5K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,060 | $51.4K |
What El Centro, CA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in El Centro, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in El Centro, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 30.77 | $36.4K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Farming, Fishing, And Forestry Workers | 19.27 | $66.7K |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 16.86 | $38.2K |
| Detectives And Criminal Investigators | 16.06 | $121.3K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Correctional Officers | 9.47 | $127.9K |
| Correctional Officers And Jailers | 8.78 | $104.1K |
| Protective Service Workers, All Other | 7.65 | $36.3K |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | 6.96 | $40.4K |
| Power Plant Operators | 6.33 | $67.6K |
| Compliance Officers | 5.19 | $101.1K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for El Centro, CA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.