Payroll Specialist salary in Sacramento-Roseville, CA
Sacramento-Roseville pays payroll specialists close to the California norm. The median is $65,810 a year1, about level with the California statewide median of $65,340 and 13.0% above the US median of $58,260. Only 11 of 486 US areas pay more for this job. About 2,000 payroll specialists work here, 10% of the California total.
BLS occupation 43-3051, area Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Sacramento-Roseville against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | $48,080 | $65,810 | $82,670 | |
| California | $46,120 | $65,340 | $92,080 | |
| United States | $39,500 | $58,260 | $81,350 |
The middle half of payroll specialists in Sacramento-Roseville earns $56,610–$75,940. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $82,670, only 1.7 times the bottom tenth, against 2.1 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $19,330 wide, against $22,640 across California and $21,610 nationally: employers in Sacramento-Roseville pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a payroll specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,080 | $4,007 | $23.12 | $62,039 |
| 25th percentile | $56,610 | $4,718 | $27.22 | $73,045 |
| Median | $65,810 | $5,484 | $31.64 | $84,916 |
| 75th percentile | $75,940 | $6,328 | $36.51 | $97,987 |
| 90th percentile | $82,670 | $6,889 | $39.75 | $106,671 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $10,130 a year in pay and about $13,071 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $9,200 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 $58,260 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Sacramento-Roseville, and the California statewide median of $65,340 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Sacramento-Roseville
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $19,106 to the $65,810 median and brings it to $84,916 a year. 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 payroll specialists 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 Sacramento-Roseville
Of the 17 roles we track in Sacramento-Roseville, this one ranks #9 by median pay, between sales development representatives ($71,910) and HR assistants ($58,610). Project Coordinator is the highest at $124,350.
| Role | Median | vs payroll specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Manager | +17.5% | 9,190 | |
| Sales Development Representative | +9.3% | 6,920 | |
| Payroll Specialist | this role | 2,000 | |
| HR Assistant | -10.9% | 640 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | -12.3% | 7,710 |
Measured against the US median, payroll specialists rank #9 of the 17 roles we track in Sacramento-Roseville (+13.0%), between data entry specialists (+13.6%) and bookkeepers (+12.2%). The typical role here is at +13.0%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Payroll specialists hold 2.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Sacramento-Roseville, 1.2% across California and 1.0% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in California
Across the 28 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $54,890 in Visalia to $80,510 in San Francisco-Oakland, a gap of $25,620 a year. Of the 2 areas in California with more payroll specialists than Sacramento-Roseville, 1 pays less: Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($65,040).
| Area | Median | vs Sacramento-Roseville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA | +18.4% | 1,000 | |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | +4.6% | 300 | |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | +3.9% | 120 | |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | this area | 2,000 | |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | -1.2% | 6,600 | |
| North Coast Region of California (Nonmetro) | -2.6% | 130 | |
| San Diego-Chula Vista, CA | -3.0% | 1,840 |
Sacramento-Roseville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Sacramento-Roseville is #14 of 482 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside California, Boulder and Seattle-Tacoma pay just above Sacramento-Roseville and Olympia-Lacey and New Haven just below. All four are within $820 a year of the median in Sacramento-Roseville. Of the three markets with about as many payroll specialists, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Sacramento-Roseville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | +1.2% | 1,980 | pay | |
| Boulder, CO | +0.5% | n/a | pay | |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | this area | 2,000 | ||
| Olympia-Lacey, WA | -0.0% | 80 | pay | |
| New Haven, CT | -0.9% | 250 | pay | |
| Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA | -2.5% | 1,850 | jobs | |
| Washington-Arlington, DC-VA | -3.6% | 2,010 | jobs | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | -4.2% | 1,920 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a payroll specialist in Sacramento-Roseville, CA?
About $84,916 a year at the median, or $7,076 a month: $65,810 in pay plus about $19,106 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do payroll specialists earn in Sacramento-Roseville?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $65,810 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $48,080, the 90th $82,670, and the middle half earned $56,610 to $75,940.
Is Sacramento-Roseville cheaper than the rest of California for payroll specialists?
About the same: a median of $65,810 against $65,340 statewide. The next area up in California is Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $68,380, the next down Los Angeles-Long Beach at $65,040.
How many payroll specialists work in Sacramento-Roseville?
BLS counts about 2,000 in the May 2025 survey. That is 10% of the California total of 20,590. Only Los Angeles-Long Beach and San Francisco-Oakland have more in California.
Does a payroll specialist cost more than an HR assistant in Sacramento-Roseville?
Yes: $7,200 a year more at the median. The medians are $65,810 and $58,610.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3051: 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.