Chico, CA Salaries
Highest published occupation medians in Chico, CA - BLS OEWS May 2025
Observed metro pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025
- BLS's published All Occupations median in Chico, CA moved from $47,360 in May 2024 to $48,050 in May 2025 (+1.5%).
- Across the 393 metros priced in both releases, the median place changed +3.1%.
- Chico, CA sits -1.6 pp behind that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Transparent derived index from BLS and BEA data, not an official government rating. Based on wage level, year-over-year wage growth, and regional-price-parity-adjusted purchasing power, not job availability, industry mix, or day-to-day livability. See the exact dimensions, weights, and formula.
Registered Nurses shows the widest metro-area vs national median gap in Chico, CA
Registered Nurses publishes $127,360 here versus $97,550 nationally (+30.6%; 2,170metro-area jobs). Next is Fast Food and Counter Workers at $38,210 locally versus $31,200 nationally (+22.5%).
- Registered Nurses$127,360 in Chico, CA sits 30.6% above the national Registered Nurses median of $97,550 (2,170 published local jobs).
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$38,210 in Chico, CA sits 22.5% above the national Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $31,200 (2,630 published local jobs).
- Cashiers$35,210 in Chico, CA sits 7.1% above the national Cashiers median of $32,880 (2,090 published local jobs).
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides$34,320 in Chico, CA sits 4.1% below the national Home Health and Personal Care Aides median of $35,800 (5,940 published local jobs).
Registered Nurses and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Chico, CA; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.
BLS OEWS metro wage desk
MSA 17020 · Chico, CA $64K mean
MEAN-HIGH · RPP-MID · OCC-MID · TOP-LEAD · EMP-MIX · TREND-INLINE · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-MOST
- MEAN-HIGH #123/528
- RPP-MID 101.2
- OCC-MID 286 occs
- TOP-LEAD Physicians, Al… · $335K
- EMP-MIX Registered N…
- TREND-INLINE -1.6 pp
- PHOTO-FINISH Salinas, CA
- BOOK-MOST 283 rows · May 2025
Read with Salinas, CA (+$12 on published-row mean) · Highest-paying careers
Instrument codes from this MSA’s OEWS published-row mean, BEA RPP, occupation book, employment lead, All Occupations pay change, and nearest peer, not a moving recommendation.
Published-row mean neighbourhood around Chico, CA
Employment scale inside Chico, CA's top-pay list
Registered Nurses and Medical and Health Services Managers lead published employment inside Chico, CA's top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.
- 1. Registered Nurses 2,170 jobs · $127,360
- 2. Medical and Health Services Managers 400 jobs · $131,520
- 3. Financial Managers 260 jobs · $130,600
- 4. Managers, All Other 210 jobs · $136,090
- 5. Physical Therapists 180 jobs · $134,970
- 6. Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 170 jobs · $139,600
- 7. Pharmacists 160 jobs · $161,410
- 8. Software Developers 150 jobs · $131,360
- 9. Nurse Practitioners 140 jobs · $167,080
- 10. Lawyers 140 jobs · $131,710
- 11. Chief Executives 130 jobs · $176,750
- 12. Physician Assistants 130 jobs · $164,780
- 13. Computer and Information Systems Managers 120 jobs · $137,890
- 14. Family Medicine Physicians 90 jobs · $274,800
- 15. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 70 jobs · $155,470
- 16. Occupational Therapists 70 jobs · $129,260
- 17. Veterinarians 60 jobs · $160,180
- 18. Marketing Managers 60 jobs · $139,830
Occupations Tracked
286
with wage data
Published-Row Mean
$63,598
employment-weighted, 283 complete rows
Top Salary
$334,980
Physicians, All Other
Cost of Living
101.2
1% above US avg
Highest Paying Jobs in Chico, CA
| # | Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $334,980 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). | $274,800 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $176,750 |
| 4 | Nurse Practitioners | $167,080 |
| 5 | Physician Assistants | $164,780 |
| 6 | Dentists, General Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $163,520 |
| 7 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $162,300 |
| 8 | Pharmacists | $161,410 |
| 9 | Veterinarians Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 60 workers (fewer than 100). | $160,180 |
| 10 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). | $155,470 |
| 11 | Optometrists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 30 workers (fewer than 100). | $139,890 |
| 12 | Marketing Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 60 workers (fewer than 100). | $139,830 |
| 13 | Human Resources Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 60 workers (fewer than 100). | $139,830 |
| 14 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $139,600 |
| 15 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $137,890 |
| 16 | Managers, All Other | $136,090 |
| 17 | Physical Therapists | $134,970 |
| 18 | Lawyers | $131,710 |
| 19 | Engineers, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $131,660 |
| 20 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $131,520 |
| 21 | Software Developers | $131,360 |
| 22 | Financial Managers | $130,600 |
| 23 | Occupational Therapists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). | $129,260 |
| 24 | Registered Nurses | $127,360 |
| 25 | School Psychologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $124,980 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Lowest Paying Jobs in Chico, CA
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | $34,320 |
| Gambling Dealers | $34,320 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $34,320 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $34,320 |
| Bartenders | $34,320 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $34,320 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $34,320 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | $34,350 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other | $34,950 |
| Skincare Specialists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $35,090 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Other BLS Wage Areas in CA
Other metropolitan or nonmetropolitan OEWS areas assigned to the same state. Cross-state pay and employment peers live in Nationwide similar metros below.
Nationwide metros with similar published-row mean pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside CA. Same-state wage areas above stay geographic; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on employment-weighted published-row mean wage ($63,598 here) and summed published employment.
Similar mean wage
Nearest other metros by employment-weighted published-row annual mean wage.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS employment-weighted published-row mean wage and summed occupation employment. Employment peers exclude metros already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct. Mean wage here is not a worker-level median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Chico, CA? ▼
Which published medians lead Chico, CA? ▼
What is the cost of living in Chico, CA? ▼
Where does BLS salary data for Chico, CA come from? ▼
Related federal data
What to do with this data
How to use Chico, CA wage figures in a real decision
- Physicians, All Other leads published medians in Chico, CA at $334,980/year (a small-sample estimate from fewer than 100 workers); open the occupation for percentile bands and state rows. Physicians, All Other
- The employment-weighted published-row mean of $63,598 adjusts to about $62,846 on a national-price basis at BEA RPP 101.2. Salary vs cost of living
- Compare this metropolitan statistical area against the statewide occupation table for CA before treating one geography as the other. State wage page
BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period; small occupation-area cells can be suppressed, and figures are not employer offers.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation rows use BLS OEWS May 2025. The metro benchmark is WageDex's employment-weighted mean of published occupation means; where BEA RPP is available, the price-level figure divides that benchmark by the published area parity. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.