Los Angeles, CA Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area is $53,490, spread over roughly 6,199,940 jobs. This guide breaks that down across 80 detailed occupations with released wage data, from home health and personal care aides down to the smallest job categories BLS can publish.
Salary by occupation in Los Angeles, CA
Ranked by median annual wage. Every row links to a full page with the local pay distribution, the percentile breakdown, and how the metro compares with the rest of the country.
| Occupation | Hourly | Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $16.63 | $34,600 | 350,610 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $17.54 | $36,480 | 153,840 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $18.85 | $39,200 | 128,800 |
| Retail Salespersons | $17.59 | $36,580 | 122,120 |
| Cashiers | $17.37 | $36,120 | 114,090 |
| Office Clerks, General | $22.68 | $47,180 | 111,440 |
| Registered Nurses | $64.15 | $133,440 | 107,340 |
| General and Operations Managers | $61.35 | $127,610 | 102,370 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $16.86 | $35,060 | 91,020 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $18.49 | $38,450 | 89,180 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $17.73 | $36,880 | 84,960 |
| Security Guards | $20.64 | $42,940 | 77,910 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $22.77 | $47,370 | 66,800 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $45.14 | $93,890 | 65,590 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $28.63 | $59,560 | 63,940 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $25.00 | $52,000 | 62,890 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $35.94 | $74,760 | 62,860 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $21.49 | $44,700 | 57,770 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $34.09 | $70,900 | 57,620 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $27.27 | $56,730 | 57,520 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $17.48 | $36,360 | 55,760 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $39.06 | $81,240 | 54,870 |
| Software Developers | $74.68 | $155,330 | 54,650 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $21.84 | $45,420 | 50,760 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $37.87 | $78,770 | 49,580 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $24.41 | $50,770 | 45,160 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $48.36 | $100,580 | 42,880 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $21.31 | $44,330 | 42,600 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $22.13 | $46,030 | 41,210 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $25.14 | $52,290 | 41,080 |
| Lawyers | $98.99 | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| Nursing Assistants | $22.18 | $46,140 | 39,910 |
| Management Analysts | $51.67 | $107,470 | 39,750 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $21.23 | $44,160 | 39,030 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $18.07 | $37,580 | 39,020 |
| Project Management Specialists | $49.91 | $103,820 | 38,920 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $21.18 | $44,050 | 37,700 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $38.28 | $79,620 | 37,140 |
| Sales Managers | $60.96 | $126,790 | 37,030 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $23.70 | $49,290 | 36,540 |
| Financial Managers | $82.65 | $171,920 | 35,320 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $38.14 | $79,330 | 35,110 |
| Medical Assistants | $22.12 | $46,000 | 34,570 |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $20.00 | $41,600 | 34,320 |
| Managers, All Other | $79.49 | $165,340 | 32,970 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $36.68 | $76,290 | 32,320 |
| Carpenters | $35.50 | $73,840 | 31,350 |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | $27.02 | $56,210 | 30,210 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | $21.30 | $44,300 | 29,090 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $17.25 | $35,890 | 28,380 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $34,600 to $205,900 — a 6.0× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $53,490 sits nearer the bottom of that range, because the largest job categories in most metros are also among the lower-paid ones.
Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles, CA pay
What is the median salary in Los Angeles, CA?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area is $53,490. Total employment covered by the survey is about 6,199,940 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in Los Angeles, CA?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to home health and personal care aides at $34,600, followed by fast food and counter workers ($36,480) and laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand ($39,200).
How many occupations are covered for Los Angeles, CA?
This guide covers 80 detailed occupations with released wage data for the metro area, out of the 800+ detailed occupations the OEWS survey tracks nationally. Occupations with too few workers locally to publish a reliable estimate are excluded by BLS.
Is this enough to live on in Los Angeles, CA?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in Los Angeles, CA may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $53,490 as the local baseline and compare any specific job against that, not against the national number.
About these figures
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. OEWS surveys employers, so it excludes self-employed workers and independent contractors, and it reports wages rather than total compensation. Occupations with too few workers locally to produce a reliable estimate are suppressed by BLS and therefore absent from this page.
Full detail in the methodology. Original data: bls.gov/oes.