Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 38#38. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: Not available
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying computer and engineering jobs in Santa Maria
What do we mean when we talk about computer and engineering jobs? Well, that depends. These positions encompass various roles dedicated to new technology development and maintenance. Take software developers, who create and oversee computer programs, versus mechanical engineers, who design and build physical products, tools, and systems. However different these careers may be, though, they do have a few things in common: bachelor's degree requirements, a focus on analytical thinking, and the allure of a steady paycheck, particularly for recent college graduates.
First, the bad news—ongoing technological advancements have massively impacted these industries. As the use of artificial intelligence has exploded in the technology sector, finding an entry-level job has become increasingly difficult. LinkedIn Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman noted in a May 2025 op-ed for The New York Times that artificial intelligence is decimating the "bottom rung of the career ladder" in technology, while a May 2025 report from SignalFire found that the hiring of new grads at the nation's 15 largest tech companies has dropped by more than 50% since 2019.
Yet, while the situation may seem dire, it's not all doom and gloom for computer and engineering jobs. Although these positions may be more selective than they once were, many pay far more than the country's 2024 median wages of $49,500. Those in computer and information technology occupations can expect to make a median salary of $105,990 as of 2024, while engineers earn median wages of more than $97,000.
Employment in these fields is also expected to grow at a healthy rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an average of 356,700 new computer job openings yearly through 2033, and 195,000 new engineering job openings in the same period. Furthermore, growing interest in sustainable infrastructure and construction techniques could lead to exciting opportunities for engineers.
Though it's difficult to predict the exact future of computer and engineering jobs, those interested in these fields can at least consider one important aspect: salary. Stacker used BLS data to find the highest-paying computer and engineering jobs Santa Maria. 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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2 / 38#37. Architectural and civil drafters
- Median annual wage: $64,470
- Median hourly wage: $31.00
- Total employment: 210 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BELL KA PANG // Shutterstock
3 / 38#36. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $70,520
- Median hourly wage: $33.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 38#35. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Median annual wage: $75,400
- Median hourly wage: $36.25
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gearstd // Shutterstock
5 / 38#34. Mechanical drafters
- Median annual wage: $76,960
- Median hourly wage: $37.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 38#33. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $78,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.62
- Total employment: 950 people (4.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 38#32. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $80,430
- Median hourly wage: $38.67
- Total employment: 130 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BGStock72 // Shutterstock
8 / 38#31. Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other
- Median annual wage: $80,520
- Median hourly wage: $38.71
- Total employment: 110 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
9 / 38#30. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $84,530
- Median hourly wage: $40.64
- Total employment: 120 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
10 / 38#29. Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $87,350
- Median hourly wage: $42.00
- Total employment: 120 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
11 / 38#28. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,980
- Median hourly wage: $42.78
- Total employment: 80 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
12 / 38#27. Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $98,640
- Median hourly wage: $47.43
- Total employment: 60 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
13 / 38#26. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $100,130
- Median hourly wage: $48.14
- Total employment: 250 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
14 / 38#25. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $101,840
- Median hourly wage: $48.96
- Total employment: 210 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedy // Shutterstock
15 / 38#24. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $102,160
- Median hourly wage: $49.12
- Total employment: Not available
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
16 / 38#23. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $105,440
- Median hourly wage: $50.69
- Total employment: 220 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
17 / 38#22. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $105,820
- Median hourly wage: $50.87
- Total employment: 350 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
18 / 38#21. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $106,210
- Median hourly wage: $51.06
- Total employment: 140 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
19 / 38#20. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $106,430
- Median hourly wage: $51.17
- Total employment: 550 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
20 / 38#19. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $113,390
- Median hourly wage: $54.52
- Total employment: 200 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 38#18. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $113,670
- Median hourly wage: $54.65
- Total employment: 80 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 38#17. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $115,730
- Median hourly wage: $55.64
- Total employment: 90 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 38#16. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $117,710
- Median hourly wage: $56.59
- Total employment: 160 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
24 / 38#15. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $120,290
- Median hourly wage: $57.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 38#14. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,760
- Median hourly wage: $59.02
- Total employment: 390 people (1.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 38#13. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $124,090
- Median hourly wage: $59.66
- Total employment: 650 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 38#12. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,990
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: 280 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
28 / 38#11. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $125,090
- Median hourly wage: $60.14
- Total employment: 780 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
29 / 38#10. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $127,640
- Median hourly wage: $61.37
- Total employment: 40 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 38#9. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $127,770
- Median hourly wage: $61.43
- Total employment: 390 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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aappp // Shutterstock
31 / 38#8. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,230
- Median hourly wage: $62.13
- Total employment: 130 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 38#7. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $130,750
- Median hourly wage: $62.86
- Total employment: 160 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
33 / 38#6. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $131,620
- Median hourly wage: $63.28
- Total employment: 130 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MinskDesign // Shutterstock
34 / 38#5. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $132,070
- Median hourly wage: $63.49
- Total employment: 30 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 38#4. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $134,620
- Median hourly wage: $64.72
- Total employment: 260 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 38#3. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $147,060
- Median hourly wage: $70.70
- Total employment: 30 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wee dezign // Shutterstock
37 / 38#2. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $163,020
- Median hourly wage: $78.38
- Total employment: 2,030 people (10.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
38 / 38#1. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $164,970
- Median hourly wage: $79.31
- Total employment: 160 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
