Riverside, CA Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area is $48,240, spread over roughly 1,695,430 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 Riverside, 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 | $16.00 | $33,280 | 90,350 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $21.62 | $44,970 | 75,620 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $17.43 | $36,250 | 51,500 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $29.17 | $60,680 | 42,710 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $18.90 | $39,310 | 41,820 |
| Cashiers | $16.85 | $35,040 | 38,730 |
| Retail Salespersons | $17.06 | $35,490 | 38,030 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $26.22 | $54,540 | 35,270 |
| Registered Nurses | $62.58 | $130,160 | 34,570 |
| Office Clerks, General | $21.95 | $45,650 | 25,970 |
| General and Operations Managers | $50.50 | $105,040 | 22,610 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $18.82 | $39,150 | 22,340 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $16.51 | $34,350 | 21,450 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $22.15 | $46,070 | 21,130 |
| Security Guards | $18.30 | $38,070 | 21,090 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $18.32 | $38,100 | 20,060 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $46.90 | $97,560 | 18,270 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $16.88 | $35,110 | 17,370 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $21.82 | $45,390 | 16,430 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $18.56 | $38,600 | 16,310 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $21.09 | $43,870 | 16,090 |
| Carpenters | $31.27 | $65,050 | 15,460 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $34.07 | $70,860 | 14,860 |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | $27.76 | $57,740 | 14,750 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $26.46 | $55,040 | 14,140 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $21.42 | $44,560 | 13,990 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | $18.69 | $38,870 | 13,600 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $24.18 | $50,290 | 13,480 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $19.27 | $40,090 | 13,320 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $24.97 | $51,940 | 13,210 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $47.07 | $97,910 | 12,780 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $30.87 | $64,200 | 12,380 |
| Construction Laborers | $28.00 | $58,230 | 11,920 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $19.58 | $40,720 | 11,860 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $23.69 | $49,280 | 11,380 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $33.28 | $69,230 | 11,200 |
| Medical Assistants | $20.54 | $42,720 | 11,180 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $23.17 | $48,200 | 10,750 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | $32.66 | $67,940 | 10,140 |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $18.27 | $38,010 | 10,020 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $39.93 | $83,060 | 9,120 |
| Nursing Assistants | $21.61 | $44,950 | 9,040 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $18.26 | $37,990 | 8,900 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $40.35 | $83,920 | 8,720 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $36.33 | $75,560 | 8,460 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $30.00 | $62,410 | 8,200 |
| Electricians | $35.56 | $73,970 | 7,570 |
| Dishwashers | $17.10 | $35,570 | 7,540 |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | $30.57 | $63,590 | 7,420 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $16.58 | $34,490 | 7,300 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $33,280 to $130,160 — a 3.9× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $48,240 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 Riverside, CA pay
What is the median salary in Riverside, CA?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area is $48,240. Total employment covered by the survey is about 1,695,430 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in Riverside, CA?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to home health and personal care aides at $33,280, followed by laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand ($44,970) and fast food and counter workers ($36,250).
How many occupations are covered for Riverside, 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 Riverside, CA?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in Riverside, CA may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $48,240 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.