Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a median of $47,430 per year, drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $36,780, the metro estimate is +29% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 1,060 teaching assistants, except postsecondary are employed across the Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA in SOC 25-9045.

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville pay distribution spans from $38,080 at the 10th percentile to $60,190 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $44,050 and the 75th at $55,110, so half of Santa Cruz-Watsonville-based teaching assistants, except postsecondary earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide CA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.