The average annual salaries for compensation and benefits managers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of compensation and benefits managers amongst California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2019 and published in April 2020 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $80,490 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $104,450 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $137,150 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $186,780 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $182,910 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for compensation and benefits managers in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $182,910. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $137,150. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $80,490.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of compensation and benefits managers from 2012 to 2019.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 7-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $137,150 | -1.91% | 21.24% |
| 2018 | $139,770 | 2.98% | - |
| 2017 | $135,600 | -2.40% | - |
| 2016 | $138,850 | 7.15% | - |
| 2015 | $128,920 | 6.19% | - |
| 2014 | $120,940 | 7.00% | - |
| 2013 | $112,470 | 3.96% | - |
| 2012 | $108,020 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of compensation and benefits managers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of compensation and benefits managers in state of California ranges from $114,750 to $166,760. The highest paying area for compensation and benefits managers in California is Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura with a median annual salary of $166,760. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $163,130). The lowest paying area is San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos with a median annual salary of $114,750.