Salary by state
MBA-Relevant Salary in California
What the roles MBAs target actually pay in California — source-labeled BLS wage benchmarks, with the geographic caveats that matter.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), California state estimates. Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Accessed via the BLS public API.
- Roles benchmarked
- 8
- MBA-relevant occupations
- Median wage span
- $101k–$219k
- across roles in California
- Highest median
- $218,600
- Chief Executives
- Region
- West
- U.S. census region
What MBA-relevant roles pay in California
Median, mean, and employment for the occupations MBAs commonly target in California. These are occupational wage benchmarks, not MBA-specific salaries.
| Role (occupation) | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
Chief Executives SOC 11-1011 | $218,600 | $272,920 | 34,700 |
Computer and Information Systems Managers SOC 11-3021 | $218,290 | $238,440 | 94,720 |
Marketing Managers SOC 11-2021 | $193,620 | $207,860 | 54,660 |
Financial Managers SOC 11-3031 | $180,770 | $210,490 | 93,310 |
Medical and Health Services Managers SOC 11-9111 | $141,480 | $159,170 | 75,090 |
General and Operations Managers SOC 11-1021 | $124,390 | $152,250 | 300,840 |
Financial and Investment Analysts SOC 13-2051 | $109,110 | $125,070 | 45,380 |
Management Analysts SOC 13-1111 | $101,460 | $115,720 | 137,280 |
These are occupational wage benchmarks for roles MBA graduates commonly target — wage context across all workers, not verified MBA-specific outcomes.
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Geography, cost of living, and California pay
Nominal wages in California reflect its industry concentration and cost of living. A higher headline number in a high-cost state does not automatically mean a better financial outcome — housing, taxes, and everyday costs claim more of it. Weigh any state wage against local living costs before drawing a conclusion.
Because these are occupational benchmarks across all workers, an MBA can shift where you land within — or above — a role's range through the school network, function, and seniority you target. Use the MBA ROI calculator to model your own expected pay, debt, and payback in California.
Frequently asked questions
What do MBA-relevant roles pay in California?
Across the 8 MBA-relevant occupations benchmarked for California, median annual wages span roughly $101k–$219k. These are BLS OEWS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers in California, not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes. The highest-median role here is Chief Executives at $218,600.
Are these California figures MBA-specific salaries?
No. They are occupational wage benchmarks from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for roles MBAs commonly target. They describe what those occupations pay across all workers in California, regardless of degree. Verified MBA-specific outcomes are collected separately and shown only once they clear our sample-size gates.
Why does MBA pay differ between California and other states?
Two forces drive most of the geographic difference: the industry mix of the state (finance, consulting, and tech hubs lift nominal pay) and cost of living (higher-pay states usually cost more to live in, offsetting part of the gap). Always weigh a state wage against its living costs — the ROI calculator lets you model take-home value directly.
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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.