Jobs in the United States → United States guide → Metro areas → Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Jobs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Pay, demand and occupations in this metropolitan area.

In short: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: 200,760 jobs, median pay $51,690 a year.

By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 09/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

$51,690median pay
200,760jobs
2cities listed
$131,760top (90th pct.)
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Overview

METRO Official statistic Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 · Data: May 2025

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is a metropolitan area in California. BLS counts 200,760 wage-and-salary jobs here, with a median pay of $51,690 a year (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $35,620 and the highest-paid tenth more than $131,760).

Cities in our guides that belong to this area: Santa Maria, Santa Barbara.

Private-sector jobs →Federal jobs →All metro areas

Largest occupations

METRO Official statistic Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 · Data: May 2025

The 40 largest occupations here (at least 100 jobs).

Sort:
Occupation ⇅Jobs ⇅Median pay ⇅Entry (10th pct.) ⇅Top (90th pct.) ⇅Location quotient ⇅
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse11,020$36,230$34,320$41,86032.14
Home Health and Personal Care Aides6,470$34,320$34,320$44,0801.16
Fast Food and Counter Workers5,930$42,940$35,280$46,5201.19
Retail Salespersons4,490$37,200$35,170$49,4800.89
Cashiers4,170$36,600$35,170$49,3901.05
Office Clerks, General3,630$55,620$38,320$79,5101.14
Waiters and Waitresses3,540$35,260$34,320$64,0601.21
General and Operations Managers3,410$111,390$54,910$241,9500.75
Registered Nurses3,280$137,360$101,260$169,2400.75
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners2,890$37,900$35,310$59,8101.01
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers2,470$45,230$35,990$58,3202.01
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary2,360$46,540$38,060$57,3901.29
Stockers and Order Fillers2,350$37,960$35,170$55,3700.64
Cooks, Restaurant2,300$43,340$36,500$50,2001.26
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education2,170$101,030$62,530$124,7701.21
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand2,100$42,560$35,830$59,6100.55
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General1,980$52,780$38,280$79,1501.00
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive1,930$51,800$37,540$76,8900.88
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks1,900$60,170$42,780$80,4601.07
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers1,810$47,320$40,660$75,1301.14
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,780$38,400$35,790$50,2501.60
Software Developers1,680$158,290$99,670$215,7500.77
Medical Assistants1,660$49,500$39,820$63,2701.57
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers1,550$55,910$37,770$77,2700.58
Business Operations Specialists, All Other1,530$89,340$46,520$180,5401.09
Accountants and Auditors1,510$91,610$60,740$154,4700.80
Food Preparation Workers1,490$38,470$34,840$48,6901.29
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel1,470$72,800$43,490$159,7500.91
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers1,440$76,370$49,440$113,3100.78
Cooks, Fast Food1,430$42,700$36,680$44,2901.73
Customer Service Representatives1,350$49,080$38,000$71,0900.40
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers1,340$51,930$39,170$74,2800.93
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers1,260$35,110$34,390$47,7501.80
Bartenders1,160$35,810$34,320$64,6401.19
Construction Laborers1,150$56,140$40,510$91,0100.81
Dishwashers1,150$37,290$35,550$44,4801.87
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products1,110$74,300$43,550$140,2600.69
Carpenters1,100$75,140$46,980$105,6401.27
Nursing Assistants1,090$47,130$40,120$55,8900.58
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education1,060$102,840$67,770$127,3200.77

Top pay

METRO Official statistic Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 · Data: May 2025

The 40 highest-paying occupations among those with at least 300 jobs.

Sort:
Occupation ⇅Jobs ⇅Median pay ⇅Entry (10th pct.) ⇅Top (90th pct.) ⇅Location quotient ⇅
Family Medicine Physicians440$287,230$136,400$486,8203.13
Architectural and Engineering Managers340$207,900$131,330$266,7501.21
Computer and Information Systems Managers700$207,760$130,950$282,6200.81
Chief Executives360$195,650$77,990$427,3801.38
Lawyers700$170,970$73,920$289,0300.71
Marketing Managers340$170,920$94,330$299,3100.67
Managers, All Other900$167,090$81,300$261,6301.13
Financial Managers760$164,270$91,990$298,4100.70
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary360$159,950$101,370$183,2900.85
Software Developers1,680$158,290$99,670$215,7500.77
Registered Nurses3,280$137,360$101,260$169,2400.75
Engineers, All Other460$136,650$81,660$198,0802.32
Medical and Health Services Managers730$130,290$61,670$284,8600.95
Physical Therapists310$128,680$99,680$164,8300.90
Computer Occupations, All Other670$128,390$63,180$188,6201.18
Mechanical Engineers390$121,130$84,480$172,0801.02
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers730$120,900$79,180$131,5000.84
Computer Systems Analysts720$120,680$70,720$181,7401.08
Civil Engineers610$119,980$78,580$171,0501.28
Industrial Engineers380$119,790$82,000$160,8200.81
General and Operations Managers3,410$111,390$54,910$241,9500.75
Sales Managers990$107,200$58,340$245,3701.21
Administrative Services Managers380$106,790$61,900$192,0501.11
Project Management Specialists1,030$106,250$58,970$169,2100.75
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education1,060$102,840$67,770$127,3200.77
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education2,170$101,030$62,530$124,7701.21
Management Analysts710$99,990$63,600$177,0600.61
Financial and Investment Analysts390$97,720$67,490$152,3800.83
Instructional Coordinators410$95,790$58,240$141,3301.38
Correctional Officers and Jailers470$94,740$64,190$95,7400.96
Accountants and Auditors1,510$91,610$60,740$154,4700.80
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers530$91,050$55,720$138,2600.67
Business Operations Specialists, All Other1,530$89,340$46,520$180,5401.09
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers780$89,190$58,360$135,1100.74
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors710$86,500$57,550$126,5801.56
Compliance Officers400$85,780$60,500$143,8100.74
Insurance Sales Agents350$83,990$45,330$171,5300.57
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants460$82,740$58,960$120,9500.77
Firefighters410$82,250$58,240$125,6200.91
Buyers and Purchasing Agents490$82,040$53,290$128,0700.77

Fields

METRO Official statistic Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 · Data: May 2025

Sort:
Field ⇅Jobs ⇅Median pay ⇅Location quotient ⇅
Food Preparation and Serving Related22,860$39,2201.29
Office and Administrative Support19,440$54,6900.85
Sales and Related15,980$43,3500.92
Educational Instruction and Library14,740$67,0801.25
Management13,080$128,7900.91
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry12,510$36,36022.27
Transportation and Material Moving11,600$43,7500.66
Healthcare Support11,190$38,4601.10
Business and Financial Operations10,410$87,8600.77
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical10,310$121,9700.81
Construction and Extraction8,850$62,8501.07
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance8,200$43,4901.40
Production7,080$48,0500.64
Computer and Mathematical5,870$120,6700.86
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair5,690$60,7100.72
Personal Care and Service5,000$38,7801.19
Community and Social Service4,280$65,3501.24
Architecture and Engineering3,830$109,5301.13
Protective Service3,740$75,6900.77
Life, Physical, and Social Science2,560$97,4901.35
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media2,370$71,0100.90
Legal1,160$109,5500.69

Cities

CITY Official statistic Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Sort:
City ⇅State ⇅Population ⇅Median rent ⇅
Santa MariaCalifornia110,462$1,925
Santa BarbaraCalifornia87,779$2,413

Open jobs

Open private-sector jobs by city of this area:

Santa Maria · Santa Barbara

FAQ

How many jobs are there in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

BLS counts 200,760 wage-and-salary jobs (OEWS, May 2025).

What is the median pay in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

$51,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Which occupation pays most in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

Family Medicine Physicians, with a median of $287,230 among occupations with at least 300 jobs.

Sources

Sources

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