Which workers earn six figures in California?

California s stifling cost of living means a six-figure salary could be seen as a necessity What kind of job makes those big bucks Well in honor of Labor Day weekend my trusty spreadsheet delved into various curious federal statistics that track the pay ladder by occupation Related Articles Tech firm rents big chunk of Sunnyvale office space as sector rebounds After Trump announcement Intel among several companies to make Bay Area job cuts Trendy retailer closing Bay Area stores which ones are still open Tech company Intuitive Surgical slashes hundreds of South Bay jobs In a tough job industry for new workers networking and adaptability can make a difference The review tracks the wages of large slices of the workforce as of May Yes the latest edition reflects pay patterns from a while ago Caveat stated the figures provide a glimpse into pay by occupation Note that the median pay that s the number between the half who earn more and the half who earn less for all million working Californians was By the way that s the ninth-highest nationally But five occupations have median wages of or more Management jobs is the mid-point wage among this occupation s million workers Computer and mathematical jobs among workers Legal jobs among workers Healthcare practitioners and technical jobs among workers Architecture and engineering jobs among workers Premium pay Clearly those aren t the only places with six-figure pay So contemplate occupations with wages of or more at the th percentile That s the median of the upper half of the pay scale Only make more This is not typical compensation Instead it s the premium pay often tied to high-skill jobs demanding industries or top-performing workers Statewide wages at this lofty threshold are That s the fourth-highest nationally California s six-figure club grows by four occupations at the th percentile Business and financial jobs at the th percentile among million workers Life physical and social science jobs among workers Arts design entertainment sports and media jobs among workers Educational instruction and library jobs among million workers Superstar salaries In the end ponder California occupations where wages exceed at the th percentile This is a rarity It s pay reserved for workers making more than of their peers Only get higher wages Essentially the th percentile represents the compensation for workplace superstars Statewide wages at this sky-high threshold are That s No among the states The six-figure club grows by five more occupations at the th percentile Protective utility jobs at the th percentile among the occupations workers statewide Construction and extraction jobs among workers Neighborhood and social institution jobs among workers Installation maintenance and repair jobs among workers Sales jobs among million workers The odds So what are the chances a Californian makes six figures Add up these slices of the statewide pay grade and you see occupations employing million Californians where a noteworthy number of those workers earn more than Those occupations employ roughly half of the million workers statewide But the odds vary Keep in mind that only million California workers are in occupations where six-figure compensation is typical Or earning -plus median pay And million are in professions in which their six-figure wage is premium pay So odds grow to including the th percentile Then there are million toiling in trades where a salary is considered superstar pay Or of all occupations when the th percentile is thrown in Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group He can be reached at jlansner scng com