SOC 25-2031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education — Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 10 metro areas compared
In Santa Cruz, CA the median wage for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education reaches $98,810 a year.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -1.6%
- Openings per year
- 66,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Santa Cruz, CA the median wage for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education reaches $98,810 a year. That is 37.2% more than the national median of $72,040. Pay ranges from under $63,010 at the tenth percentile to more than $129,100 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $78,500 to $108,670.
Employment stands at 560, or 5.7 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Oxnard records the highest median at $108,850. Of the 328 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 87th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $63,010 | −12.5% |
| 25th | $78,500 | +9.0% |
| Median (50th) | $98,810 | +37.2% |
| 75th | $108,670 | +50.8% |
| 90th | $129,100 | +79.2% |
| Mean | $94,180 | +30.7% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oxnard | $108,850 | 2,210 | |
| 2 | San Jose | $108,230 | 4,130 | |
| 3 | Sacramento | $105,060 | 6,040 | |
| 4 | San Francisco | $102,880 | 11,520 | |
| 5 | Santa Maria | $102,840 | 1,060 | |
| 6 | San Diego | $102,810 | 6,690 | |
| 7 | Vallejo | $102,590 | 800 | |
| 8 | Napa | $102,510 | 300 | |
| 9 | Hanford | $102,010 | 730 | |
| 10 | Modesto | $101,890 | 1,900 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Santa Cruz run 9.9% above the national average, so the median of $98,810 buys what $89,909 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 24.8% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$98,810as reported by BLSLocal price level
109.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$89,909US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $98,810 a year, 37.2% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $63,010 to $129,100 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 560 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Oxnard, at $108,850.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Santa Cruz, CA?
The median annual wage is $98,810, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $72,040, so pay in Santa Cruz, CA is 37.2% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Santa Cruz, CA earns more than $129,100 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $63,010 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Oxnard, at $108,850 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 560 jobs in this occupation in Santa Cruz, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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