Project Coordinator salary in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara pays project coordinators less than California as a whole but still more than the country. The median is $106,250 a year1: 12.1% below the California statewide median of $120,910 and 3.8% above the US median of $102,320. Nationally that is #40 of 518 areas, in the top tenth. About 1,030 project coordinators work here.
BLS occupation 13-1082, area Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $58,970 | $106,250 | $169,210 | |
| California | $69,180 | $120,910 | $188,560 | |
| United States | $61,580 | $102,320 | $167,970 |
Project coordinators at the 90th percentile earn $169,210, 2.9 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 2.7. The middle half of project coordinators in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara earns $78,500–$133,460. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $54,960 wide, between the figure for California ($70,230) and the US figure ($54,660).
What to budget for a project coordinator here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $58,970 | $4,914 | $28.35 | $76,090 |
| 25th percentile | $78,500 | $6,542 | $37.74 | $101,290 |
| Median | $106,250 | $8,854 | $51.08 | $137,097 |
| 75th percentile | $133,460 | $11,122 | $64.16 | $172,206 |
| 90th percentile | $169,210 | $14,101 | $81.35 | $218,335 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $27,210 a year in pay and about $35,110 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $27,750 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 $102,320 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, and the California statewide median of $120,910 falls between the median and the 75th percentile.
What a hire really costs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
At the $106,250 median, a local hire costs about $137,097 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $30,847 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 project coordinators 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
Project coordinators have the highest median of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara; data entry specialists have the lowest, at $39,520.
| Role | Median | vs project coordinator | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | this role | 1,030 | |
| Accountant | -13.8% | 1,510 | |
| Executive Assistant | -22.1% | 460 | |
| Paralegal | -23.8% | 360 | |
| Recruiter | -24.4% | 870 |
Measured against the US median, project coordinators rank #13 of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara (+3.8%), between sales development representatives (+4.0%) and HR assistants (+2.3%). The typical role here is at +8.0%, so, measured against the US, project coordinators cost less in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara than the area's general pay level would suggest. Project coordinators hold 6.5% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 6.9% across California and 6.7% 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 $86,540 in the North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetro area to $135,120 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $48,580 a year. Of the 9 areas in California with more project coordinators than Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 4 pay less, the largest of them Riverside-San Bernardino, CA ($100,770), Fresno, CA ($101,030) and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA ($104,990).
| Area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | +1.0% | 1,000 | |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | +0.5% | 440 | |
| Vallejo, CA | +0.3% | 720 | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 1,030 | |
| El Centro, CA | -0.4% | 140 | |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA | -1.2% | 1,510 | |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | -1.6% | 1,410 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara is #124 of 517 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside California, Rochester and Binghamton pay just above Santa Maria-Santa Barbara and Decatur and Hartford-West Hartford just below. All four are within $530 a year of the median in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara. Of the three markets with about as many project coordinators, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton, NY | +0.3% | 540 | pay | |
| Rochester, MN | +0.0% | 460 | pay | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 1,030 | ||
| Decatur, AL | -0.1% | 100 | pay | |
| Hartford-West Hartford, CT | -0.5% | 2,920 | pay | |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | -6.6% | 1,050 | jobs | |
| Charlottesville, VA | -8.1% | 1,010 | jobs | |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | -28.1% | 1,030 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a project coordinator in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About $137,097 a year at the median, or $11,425 a month: $106,250 in pay plus about $30,847 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for project coordinators in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $106,250 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $58,970, the 90th $169,210, and the middle half earned $78,500 to $133,460.
Is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara cheaper than the rest of California for project coordinators?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $106,250 against $120,910 statewide. The next area up in California is Vallejo at $106,520, the next down El Centro at $105,860.
How many project coordinators work in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
BLS counts about 1,030 in the May 2025 survey. 9 areas in California have more; the closest in size is Bakersfield-Delano, with about 1,410.
Does a project coordinator cost more than an accountant in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Yes: $14,640 a year more at the median. The medians are $106,250 and $91,610.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-1082: 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.