The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area is tracked by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics across 488 occupations in the May 2025 release — each representing a distinct SOC code where local employment is large enough to report without triggering confidentiality suppression. Averaging the top-ranked occupation medians gives roughly $191,067 per year, a rough midpoint that helps you compare this metro to peer cities and the national picture. The BEA Regional Price Parity index for Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA sits at 110.5, meaning the local price level is 11% above the national average for rent, groceries, services, and transportation combined.

At the top of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ranking, Surgeons, All Other pays a median of $535,800. Second-ranked is General Internal Medicine Physicians at $314,720, followed by Family Medicine Physicians at $266,740. At the bottom of the reported-occupation range, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse pays $35,810. This spread between top-specialist and entry-service pay is characteristic of U.S. metro labor markets, though the specific ratio varies by metro economic base. Critically, nominal pay in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA converts to $172,858 of purchasing power in a national-average-cost city — the paycheck you take home here buys less than the same nominal amount would elsewhere.

Metro medians reflect where the job is located, not where you live — relevant if you plan to commute across MSA boundaries. BLS defines metro areas using OMB's MSA delineations, so Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA spans the central city plus economically integrated surrounding counties. When using this page, drill into individual occupation rows to see percentile spread (the top 10% often earns 2× or more than the median) and compare against the occupation's national profile to see whether Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA pays a premium or discount for that specific role. Remember that OEWS wages capture base pay only — health benefits, retirement contributions, bonuses, overtime, and equity compensation can add 20-40% to real total compensation, and that gap often skews larger in high-cost metros where employers load non-wage benefits to remain competitive.