Cost of hiring in California
BLS counts about 1,668,780 people in these 17 roles in California[1]. Project Coordinator has the highest median ($120,910 a year), Virtual Receptionist the lowest ($44,100), and Customer Support Specialist is the largest job, with about 176,850 people.
17roles with BLS pay data
1,668,780people in these roles
$120,910top median: project coordinator
$44,100lowest median: virtual receptionist
Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Median pay by role in California
| Role | Median per year | Employer cost | vs US median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | $172,729 | +18.2% | 114,380 | |
| Accountant | $138,643 | +16.0% | 175,360 | |
| Marketing Specialist | $135,286 | +20.2% | 119,070 | |
| Executive Assistant | $127,143 | +16.2% | 59,640 | |
| Recruiter | $119,286 | +10.0% | 104,000 | |
| Sales Development Representative | $115,500 | +15.5% | 156,110 | |
| Office Manager | $110,843 | +11.6% | 149,230 | |
| Paralegal | $110,557 | +23.1% | 47,130 | |
| Payroll Specialist | $93,343 | +12.2% | 20,590 | |
| Bookkeeper | $84,614 | +16.9% | 151,870 | |
| HR Assistant | $82,271 | +13.8% | 11,490 | |
| Administrative Assistant | $79,143 | +16.5% | 158,630 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | $77,843 | +18.6% | 115,050 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | $70,800 | +10.7% | 176,850 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | $67,557 | +2.4% | 12,390 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | $67,157 | +13.7% | 14,520 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | $63,000 | +16.0% | 82,470 |
Employer cost adds benefits and payroll taxes at 30.0% of total compensation, the US private-industry share[2]. Treat it as an estimate: benefit levels vary by employer.
Metro areas in California
| Area | Jobs in these roles | Roles with data |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | 610,130 | 17 |
| San Francisco-Oakland, CA | 241,510 | 17 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista, CA | 127,500 | 17 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | 121,300 | 17 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA | 110,160 | 17 |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | 97,010 | 17 |
| Fresno, CA | 35,190 | 17 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA | 27,360 | 17 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 21,340 | 17 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 18,600 | 17 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 17,520 | 17 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 15,920 | 17 |
| Modesto, CA | 14,480 | 17 |
| Salinas, CA | 11,130 | 17 |
| Vallejo, CA | 10,190 | 17 |
| Visalia, CA | 10,080 | 17 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 9,830 | 17 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 8,310 | 17 |
| North Coast Region of California (Nonmetro) | 7,960 | 16 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California (Nonmetro) | 7,880 | 17 |
| Chico, CA | 6,010 | 17 |
| Napa, CA | 5,760 | 17 |
| Redding, CA | 5,630 | 16 |
| Merced, CA | 4,770 | 16 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California (Nonmetro) | 4,400 | 14 |
| El Centro, CA | 3,630 | 16 |
| Yuba City, CA | 3,570 | 15 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 2,580 | 15 |
Questions
Which role costs the most to hire in California?
Of the 17 roles we track, Project Coordinator: a median of $120,910 a year, about $172,729 with benefits.
Which role costs the least in California?
Virtual Receptionist, with a median of $44,100 a year, about $63,000 with benefits.
Sources
- BLS OEWS May 2025: https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Data checked 2026-11-04.