fizkes // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $110,610
- Median hourly wage: $53.18
- Total employment: 2,350 people (12.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Salinas
Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Salinas. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Teachers and instructors, all other
- Median annual wage: $110,760
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 2,240 people (12.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $112,380
- Median hourly wage: $54.03
- Total employment: 110 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $112,510
- Median hourly wage: $54.09
- Total employment: 250 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $115,010
- Median hourly wage: $55.29
- Total employment: 60 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $115,210
- Median hourly wage: $55.39
- Total employment: Not available
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $116,050
- Median hourly wage: $55.80
- Total employment: 90 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $118,080
- Median hourly wage: $56.77
- Total employment: 190 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $118,440
- Median hourly wage: $56.94
- Total employment: 120 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $118,780
- Median hourly wage: $57.10
- Total employment: 80 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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creativemarc // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $120,500
- Median hourly wage: $57.93
- Total employment: 260 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $122,050
- Median hourly wage: $58.68
- Total employment: 170 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $122,290
- Median hourly wage: $58.80
- Total employment: 780 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $122,540
- Median hourly wage: $58.91
- Total employment: 90 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $122,820
- Median hourly wage: $59.05
- Total employment: 90 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $123,960
- Median hourly wage: $59.59
- Total employment: 190 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $124,050
- Median hourly wage: $59.64
- Total employment: 150 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,180
- Median hourly wage: $59.70
- Total employment: 30 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $125,990
- Median hourly wage: $60.57
- Total employment: 190 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $126,280
- Median hourly wage: $60.71
- Total employment: 500 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VH-studio // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. School psychologists
- Median annual wage: $126,730
- Median hourly wage: $60.93
- Total employment: 110 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $129,100
- Median hourly wage: $62.07
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $129,880
- Median hourly wage: $62.44
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $131,420
- Median hourly wage: $63.18
- Total employment: 360 people (1.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $131,470
- Median hourly wage: $63.21
- Total employment: 480 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $132,950
- Median hourly wage: $63.92
- Total employment: 130 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $134,300
- Median hourly wage: $64.57
- Total employment: 280 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $135,080
- Median hourly wage: $64.94
- Total employment: 3,060 people (16.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Postsecondary teachers, all other
- Median annual wage: $136,320
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 400 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $138,100
- Median hourly wage: $66.40
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $141,420
- Median hourly wage: $67.99
- Total employment: 60 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $141,730
- Median hourly wage: $68.14
- Total employment: 140 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $143,840
- Median hourly wage: $69.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $148,460
- Median hourly wage: $71.37
- Total employment: 140 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $149,510
- Median hourly wage: $71.88
- Total employment: 30 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VE.Studio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $157,160
- Median hourly wage: $75.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $158,740
- Median hourly wage: $76.32
- Total employment: 440 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $159,590
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 450 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $163,700
- Median hourly wage: $78.70
- Total employment: 170 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $163,890
- Median hourly wage: $78.79
- Total employment: 210 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $166,430
- Median hourly wage: $80.01
- Total employment: 70 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $167,700
- Median hourly wage: $80.62
- Total employment: 390 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $168,270
- Median hourly wage: $80.90
- Total employment: 140 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $168,330
- Median hourly wage: $80.93
- Total employment: 90 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $169,050
- Median hourly wage: $81.27
- Total employment: 260 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $175,900
- Median hourly wage: $84.57
- Total employment: 160 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $198,060
- Median hourly wage: $95.22
- Total employment: 140 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $221,090
- Median hourly wage: $106.29
- Total employment: 240 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $225,300
- Median hourly wage: $108.32
- Total employment: 40 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 370 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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