Recruiter salary in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara pays recruiters less than California as a whole but still more than the country. The median is $80,340 a year1: 3.8% below the California statewide median of $83,500 and 5.8% above the US median of $75,940. Only 29 of 521 US areas pay more for this job. About 870 recruiters work here.
BLS occupation 13-1071, 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 | $57,490 | $80,340 | $134,950 | |
| California | $52,770 | $83,500 | $151,410 | |
| United States | $47,180 | $75,940 | $128,720 |
The middle half of recruiters in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara earns $66,540–$105,630. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $134,950, only 2.3 times the bottom tenth, against 2.7 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($91,880) is 14% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $39,090 wide, against $51,370 across California and $40,770 nationally: employers in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a recruiter here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $57,490 | $4,791 | $27.64 | $74,181 |
| 25th percentile | $66,540 | $5,545 | $31.99 | $85,858 |
| Median | $80,340 | $6,695 | $38.62 | $103,665 |
| 75th percentile | $105,630 | $8,802 | $50.78 | $136,297 |
| 90th percentile | $134,950 | $11,246 | $64.88 | $174,129 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $25,290 over the median, the 25th only $13,800 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $32,632 a year in employer cost. 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 $75,940 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, and the California statewide median of $83,500 falls between the median and the 75th percentile.
What a hire really costs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
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 $23,325 to the $80,340 median and brings it to $103,665 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 recruiters 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
Of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, this one ranks #5 by median pay, between paralegals ($80,930) and marketing specialists ($79,710). Project Coordinator is the highest at $106,250.
| Role | Median | vs recruiter | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Assistant | +3.0% | 460 | |
| Paralegal | +0.7% | 360 | |
| Recruiter | this role | 870 | |
| Marketing Specialist | -0.8% | 960 | |
| Office Manager | -4.9% | 1,440 |
Measured against the US median, recruiters rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara (+5.8%), between executive assistants (+8.0%) and e-commerce order specialists (+4.9%). The typical role here is at +8.0%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Recruiters hold 5.5% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 6.2% across California and 5.8% 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 $70,830 in Redding to $112,140 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $41,310 a year. Of the 11 areas in California with more recruiters than Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 5 pay less, the largest of them Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($80,220), Riverside-San Bernardino, CA ($76,570) and Fresno, CA ($74,170).
| Area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista, CA | +1.2% | 9,110 | |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | +0.8% | 5,360 | |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA | +0.3% | 1,710 | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 870 | |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | -0.1% | 36,850 | |
| Salinas, CA | -0.3% | 630 | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | -2.9% | 610 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara is #144 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, Walla Walla and Amherst Town-Northampton pay just above Santa Maria-Santa Barbara and Trenton-Princeton and Minneapolis-St. Paul just below. All four are within $430 a year of the median in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara. Of the three markets with about as many recruiters, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | +0.5% | 310 | pay | |
| Walla Walla, WA | +0.5% | 120 | pay | |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | this area | 870 | ||
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | +0.0% | 1,400 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | -0.0% | 12,660 | pay | |
| Fayetteville, NC | -6.1% | 870 | jobs | |
| Peoria, IL | -7.9% | 890 | jobs | |
| Spartanburg, SC | -16.1% | 850 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a recruiter in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About $103,665 a year at the median, or $8,639 a month: $80,340 in pay plus about $23,325 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for recruiters in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $80,340 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $57,490, the 90th $134,950, and the middle half earned $66,540 to $105,630.
Is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara cheaper than the rest of California for recruiters?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $80,340 against $83,500 statewide. The next area up in California is Oxnard-Thousand Oaks at $80,560, the next down Los Angeles-Long Beach at $80,220.
How many recruiters work in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
BLS counts about 870 in the May 2025 survey. 11 areas in California have more; the closest in size is Santa Rosa-Petaluma, with about 920.
Does a recruiter cost more than a marketing specialist in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara?
Yes: $630 a year more at the median. The medians are $80,340 and $79,710.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-1071: 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.