Wages and salaries paid in California
Wages and salaries paid in California was $1.87 trillion in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That is up 5.2% from 2024. That is the 1st highest of 51 states in 2025.
Wages and salaries paid in California, 1929 to 2025
All 97 values
| Period | USD million |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,865,976.6 |
| 2024 | 1,772,951.5 |
| 2023 | 1,667,246.6 |
| 2022 | 1,599,262.4 |
| 2021 | 1,538,130.5 |
| 2020 | 1,378,351.2 |
| 2019 | 1,335,483.7 |
| 2018 | 1,260,482.4 |
| 2017 | 1,190,747.9 |
| 2016 | 1,117,915.5 |
| 2015 | 1,067,705.3 |
| 2014 | 992,025.4 |
| 2013 | 933,893.5 |
| 2012 | 903,207.3 |
| 2011 | 847,516.5 |
| 2010 | 813,699.1 |
| 2009 | 798,914.1 |
| 2008 | 843,122.8 |
| 2007 | 834,657.5 |
| 2006 | 791,450 |
| 2005 | 742,516.8 |
| 2004 | 705,728.3 |
| 2003 | 666,057.8 |
| 2002 | 645,996.5 |
| 2001 | 648,050.3 |
| 2000 | 638,455.2 |
| 1999 | 565,624.7 |
| 1998 | 517,592.6 |
| 1997 | 475,281.7 |
| 1996 | 440,424.7 |
| 1995 | 415,033.4 |
| 1994 | 395,288.7 |
| 1993 | 384,081.8 |
| 1992 | 381,841.5 |
| 1991 | 371,863.8 |
| 1990 | 366,832.7 |
| 1989 | 341,962.1 |
| 1988 | 319,101.9 |
| 1987 | 294,010.7 |
| 1986 | 269,320.9 |
| 1985 | 249,824.2 |
| 1984 | 229,161.3 |
| 1983 | 206,480.9 |
| 1982 | 192,877.5 |
| 1981 | 182,104.6 |
| 1980 | 164,081.5 |
| 1979 | 146,995.3 |
| 1978 | 129,104.4 |
| 1977 | 112,641.5 |
| 1976 | 100,699 |
| 1975 | 90,887.7 |
| 1974 | 84,377.9 |
| 1973 | 76,906.6 |
| 1972 | 69,888.1 |
| 1971 | 64,012.6 |
| 1970 | 61,259 |
| 1969 | 57,931.9 |
| 1968 | 52,831 |
| 1967 | 48,147.5 |
| 1966 | 44,920.1 |
| 1965 | 40,756.5 |
| 1964 | 38,277.2 |
| 1963 | 35,678 |
| 1962 | 33,264.2 |
| 1961 | 30,773.1 |
| 1960 | 29,171.4 |
| 1959 | 27,551.8 |
| 1958 | 24,851.8 |
| 1957 | 23,822.7 |
| 1956 | 22,347.8 |
| 1955 | 20,082.4 |
| 1954 | 18,311 |
| 1953 | 18,060.8 |
| 1952 | 16,719.3 |
| 1951 | 14,799 |
| 1950 | 12,339.6 |
| 1949 | 11,267.2 |
| 1948 | 11,292.5 |
| 1947 | 10,596.1 |
| 1946 | 10,003.8 |
| 1945 | 10,205.9 |
| 1944 | 10,137.5 |
| 1943 | 9,232.5 |
| 1942 | 6,625 |
| 1941 | 4,479 |
| 1940 | 3,490.6 |
| 1939 | 3,223.5 |
| 1938 | 3,094.4 |
| 1937 | 3,118.3 |
| 1936 | 2,769.9 |
| 1935 | 2,407.6 |
| 1934 | 2,167.9 |
| 1933 | 1,926.4 |
| 1932 | 2,026.4 |
| 1931 | 2,499.8 |
| 1930 | 2,890.2 |
| 1929 | 3,013 |
Compared with United States
| Place | 2025 |
|---|---|
| California | 1,865,976.6 |
| United States | 12,969,586 |
Rankings
Definition
Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.
Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.
How to cite
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states (Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip
MLA 9
SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states, Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 30 Sept. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states. Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california.
Harvard
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states, Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_wages_and_salaries_paid_2025,
author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
title = {{SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states: Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI - SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states: Wages and salaries paid, California, 1929 to 2025
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB - Invokely
UR - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/wages-and-salaries/california.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAINC.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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What is the latest wages and salaries paid in California? Cite the source.
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What is the wages and salaries paid in California?
Wages and salaries paid in California was $1.87 trillion in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That is up 5.2% from 2024. That is the 1st highest of 51 states in 2025.
Where does this figure come from?
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAINC4: personal income and employment by major component, wages and salaries, millions of current dollars, United States and states. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest wages and salaries paid in California?
$1.87 trillion in 2025, the highest value since 1929 in this series.