Occupational profile · 2025
California
California employs 18,213,700 people. The work it does most unusually is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse, at 5.5× the national concentration — 172,260 jobs paying a median of $35,580.
What California is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse172,260 jobs · median $35,5805.5×
- 2Marriage and Family Therapists34,970 jobs · median $67,3004.5×
- 3Media and Communication Workers, All Other9,940 jobs · median $102,6304.3×
- 4Actors26,170 jobs · median —4.1×
- 5Law Teachers, Postsecondary7,800 jobs · median $119,5403.3×
- 6Material Moving Workers, All Other9,120 jobs · median $38,4103.3×
- 7Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes4,860 jobs · median $98,1103.3×
- 8Counselors, All Other10,770 jobs · median $48,8503.2×
- 9Forest and Conservation Workers2,270 jobs · median $43,6803.2×
- 10First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers10,450 jobs · median $56,2803.2×
- 11Special Effects Artists and Animators7,410 jobs · median $130,5403.2×
- 12Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other30,730 jobs · median $36,9103.1×
What California is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 1,878,550 | 0.90× | $54,900 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 1,622,960 | 1.01× | $40,250 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 1,504,070 | 0.94× | $45,850 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 1,454,670 | 0.93× | $45,400 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 1,373,820 | 1.48× | $35,950 | |
| Management Occupations | 1,330,280 | 1.02× | $143,220 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 1,265,010 | 1.02× | $96,110 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 1,087,510 | 1.02× | $69,190 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 990,550 | 0.86× | $123,330 | |
| Production Occupations | 744,730 | 0.74× | $47,860 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 717,740 | 1.16× | $138,670 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 672,770 | 0.89× | $71,670 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 546,040 | 0.77× | $64,660 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 509,190 | 0.96× | $44,250 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 461,860 | 1.04× | $51,700 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 408,180 | 1.07× | $39,500 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 407,070 | 1.30× | $62,590 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 338,230 | 1.41× | $79,520 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 327,600 | 1.07× | $124,010 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 207,800 | 4.08× | $35,890 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 206,700 | 1.20× | $101,700 | |
| Legal Occupations | 158,370 | 1.04× | $129,550 |
Elsewhere on California
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗