Accountant salary in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles pays accountants less than California as a whole but still more than the country. The median is $88,160 a year1: 9.2% below the California statewide median of $97,050 and 5.4% above the US median of $83,680. Only 45 of 521 US areas pay more for this job. About 860 accountants work here.
BLS occupation 13-2011, area San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $59,940 | $88,160 | $133,180 | |
| California | $61,770 | $97,050 | $160,520 | |
| United States | $56,020 | $83,680 | $144,090 |
The middle half of accountants in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles earns $72,110–$107,710. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $133,180, only 2.2 times the bottom tenth, against 2.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $35,600 wide, against $50,040 across California and $42,790 nationally: employers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for an accountant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $59,940 | $4,995 | $28.82 | $77,342 |
| 25th percentile | $72,110 | $6,009 | $34.67 | $93,045 |
| Median | $88,160 | $7,347 | $42.38 | $113,755 |
| 75th percentile | $107,710 | $8,976 | $51.78 | $138,981 |
| 90th percentile | $133,180 | $11,098 | $64.03 | $171,845 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $19,550 a year in pay and about $25,226 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $16,050 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $83,680 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, and the California statewide median of $97,050 falls between the median and the 75th percentile.
What a hire really costs in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
At the $88,160 median, a local hire costs about $113,755 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $25,595 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for accountants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
Of the 17 roles we track in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($108,730); executive assistants come next at $79,790.
| Role | Median | vs accountant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | +23.3% | 640 | |
| Accountant | this role | 860 | |
| Executive Assistant | -9.5% | 310 | |
| Recruiter | -11.5% | 610 | |
| Office Manager | -12.1% | 1,120 |
Measured against the US median, accountants rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles (+5.4%), between project coordinators (+6.3%) and customer support specialists (+4.4%). The typical role here is at +6.3%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Accountants hold 8.7% of the jobs in these 17 roles in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 10.5% across California and 9.1% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in California
Across the 28 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $74,880 in the North Coast Region of California nonmetro area to $121,700 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $46,820 a year. Of the 15 areas in California with more accountants than San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 7 pay less, the largest of them Riverside-San Bernardino, CA ($83,920), Fresno, CA ($78,690) and Bakersfield-Delano, CA ($79,620).
| Area | Median | vs San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | +4.5% | 13,170 | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | +3.9% | 1,510 | |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA | +2.5% | 2,530 | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | this area | 860 | |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | -3.7% | 740 | |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | -4.8% | 9,240 | |
| Salinas, CA | -4.9% | 1,050 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles is #220 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the top quarter of US areas. Outside California, Bremerton-Silverdale and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie pay just above San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles and Wenatchee-East Wenatchee and Salem just below. All four are within $740 a year of the median in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie, NY | +0.8% | 1,860 | pay | |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | +0.1% | 580 | pay | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | this area | 860 | ||
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | -0.4% | 410 | pay | |
| Salem, OR | -0.8% | 1,510 | pay | |
| Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | -13.4% | 860 | jobs | |
| Waco, TX | -13.6% | 860 | jobs | |
| Flint, MI | -15.5% | 860 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an accountant in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
About $113,755 a year at the median, or $9,480 a month: $88,160 in pay plus about $25,595 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for accountants in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $88,160 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $59,940, the 90th $133,180, and the middle half earned $72,110 to $107,710.
Is San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles cheaper than the rest of California for accountants?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $88,160 against $97,050 statewide. The next area up in California is Oxnard-Thousand Oaks at $90,340, the next down Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $84,920.
How many accountants work in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?
BLS counts about 860 in the May 2025 survey. 15 areas in California have more; the closest in size is Visalia, with about 870.
Does an accountant cost more than an executive assistant in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?
Yes: $8,370 a year more at the median. The medians are $88,160 and $79,790.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-2011: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.