Average Salaries in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Explore salaries across 424 occupations in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $80.1K, +21.8% 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: 424 occupations and 196,010 total jobs in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA.
How the metro compares
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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.
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $421.5K | 270 |
| Psychiatrists | $338K | 30 |
| Commercial Pilots | $274.7K | 130 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $258.5K | 140 |
| Chief Executives | $218.7K | 350 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $207.1K | 190 |
| Lawyers | $181.6K | 590 |
| Registered Nurses | $174.6K | 3,720 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $173.8K | 400 |
| Physician Assistants | $172.8K | 140 |
Largest occupations in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 10,150 | $36.9K |
| Retail Salespersons | 5,720 | $39.6K |
| Cashiers | 5,030 | $38.4K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 4,720 | $43.6K |
| General And Operations Managers | 4,090 | $110K |
| Registered Nurses | 3,720 | $174.6K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 3,670 | $36.8K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 3,620 | $39.2K |
| Office Clerks, General | 3,350 | $51.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 2,810 | $46.6K |
What Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrators And Product Promoters | 14.69 | $45.5K |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, And Still Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 12.28 | $61.6K |
| Farmers, Ranchers, And Other Agricultural Managers | 10.68 | $108.3K |
| Hydrologic Technicians | 8.02 | $79.9K |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 7.52 | $44.3K |
| Cooks, All Other | 7.03 | $47.8K |
| Drywall And Ceiling Tile Installers | 6.34 | $82.7K |
| Tile And Stone Setters | 6.01 | $58.1K |
| Acupuncturists | 5.97 | $64.4K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Farming, Fishing, And Forestry Workers | 5.95 | $61.5K |
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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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.