Average Salaries in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Explore salaries across 372 occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $77.3K, +17.5% 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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 372 occupations and 114,150 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 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 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.
Highest-paid occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $345.3K | N/A |
| Psychiatrists | $322.8K | 60 |
| Physicians, All Other | $290.3K | 80 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289.8K | N/A |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $213.1K | 180 |
| Chief Executives | $190K | 180 |
| Training And Development Managers | $179.2K | 30 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $178.5K | 40 |
| Lawyers | $175.8K | 290 |
| Pharmacists | $172.9K | 240 |
Largest occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 4,160 | $34.3K |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,390 | $37.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 3,310 | $42.4K |
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 3,100 | $36.6K |
| Cashiers | 3,010 | $36.6K |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,860 | $46.1K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 2,640 | $35K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,280 | $101.8K |
| Registered Nurses | 2,180 | $138.8K |
| Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,720 | $37.2K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 14.89 | $36.6K |
| Demonstrators And Product Promoters | 12.62 | $44.1K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Farming, Fishing, And Forestry Workers | 12.09 | $48.1K |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 9.86 | $44.2K |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, And Still Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 7.27 | $54.2K |
| Food Science Technicians | 6.89 | $53.5K |
| Farmers, Ranchers, And Other Agricultural Managers | 6.79 | $108.3K |
| Landscape Architects | 5.82 | $77.6K |
| Educational Instruction And Library Workers, All Other | 5.78 | $49.5K |
| Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other | 5.59 | $49.3K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
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.