Average Salaries in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Explore salaries across 378 occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $71.1K, +15.6% 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: 378 occupations and 113,580 total jobs in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
How the metro compares
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA is one of the higher-paying metros in the country. Average wages here run meaningfully above the national level, though local cost of living often offsets some of that premium.
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Dentists, General. 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $210.1K | 110 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $200.8K | 200 |
| Training And Development Managers | $188.9K | 30 |
| Technical Writers | $182.5K | 30 |
| Pharmacists | $170.5K | 230 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $165.3K | 230 |
| Chief Executives | $162.3K | 200 |
| Veterinarians | $158.7K | 110 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $156.8K | 150 |
| Optometrists | $152.7K | 40 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 3,640 | $33.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 3,450 | $36.9K |
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 3,330 | $37.0K |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,190 | $37.5K |
| Cashiers | 3,030 | $36.0K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 2,860 | $34.5K |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,490 | $47.5K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,130 | $103.6K |
| Registered Nurses | 1,950 | $133.5K |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,790 | $42.3K |
What San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 16.20 | $37.0K |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 13.62 | $45.0K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Farming, Fishing, And Forestry Workers | 12.19 | $53.5K |
| Demonstrators And Product Promoters | 11.40 | $37.8K |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, And Still Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 9.43 | $58.1K |
| Food Science Technicians | 8.73 | $50.6K |
| Farmers, Ranchers, And Other Agricultural Managers | 7.67 | $103.3K |
| Health Education Specialists | 5.80 | $59.6K |
| Educational Instruction And Library Workers, All Other | 5.68 | $49.1K |
| Stationary Engineers And Boiler Operators | 4.72 | $63.4K |
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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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.