Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $170,080 | $149,469 | +14% |
| Median hourly wage | $81.77 | $71.86 | +14% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $153,640.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $201,500 | $116,250 | $255,750 | 244 |
| Oakland | $182,000 | $105,000 | $231,000 | 196 |
| Los Angeles | $166,400 | $96,000 | $211,200 | 173 |
| Long Beach | $156,000 | $90,000 | $198,000 | 153 |
| San Diego | $153,400 | $88,500 | $194,700 | 161 |
| Sacramento | $140,400 | $81,000 | $178,200 | 130 |
| Fresno | $123,500 | $71,250 | $156,750 | 105 |
The median annual salary for a HR Manager in California is $170,080, or about $81.77 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for HR Managers is $149,469. California is +14% above the national median.
Entry-level hr managers in California typically earn from $116,250 depending on the city and employer.
With 27,450 hr manager jobs on record and a median salary of $170,080, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, hr managers rank 33 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 96% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Chief Executives at $218,600, Computer and Information Systems Managers at $218,290, Architectural and Engineering Managers at $210,280 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, hr managers rank 33 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 96% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $218,600 | $34,700 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $218,290 | $94,720 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $210,280 | $29,630 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $210,230 | $14,950 |
| Marketing Managers | $193,620 | $54,660 |
| Financial Managers | $180,770 | $93,310 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.