Postsecondary Education Administrator Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for postsecondary education administrators in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of postsecondary education administrators among California metropolitan 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].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Postsecondary Education Administrators in California (2019 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$70,490
25th Percentile Wage
$89,360
50th Percentile Wage
$121,630
75th Percentile Wage
$157,620
90th Percentile Wage
$197,680

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for postsecondary education administrators in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $197,680. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $121,630. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $70,490.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2019)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of postsecondary education administrators from 2012 to 2019.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth7-Year Growth
2019
$121,630
2.32% 23.27%
2018
$118,810
5.16% -
2017
$112,680
1.43% -
2016
$111,070
7.24% -
2015
$103,030
2.81% -
2014
$100,130
6.24% -
2013
$93,880
0.59% -
2012
$93,330
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Postsecondary Education Administrators in California Cities (2019 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of postsecondary education administrators in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of postsecondary education administrators in state of California ranges from $79,830 to $140,080. The highest paying area for postsecondary education administrators in California is Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville with a median annual salary of $140,080. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Visalia-Porterville (mean annual salary $138,820). The lowest paying area is Chico with a median annual salary of $79,830.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$140,080
Visalia-Porterville
$138,820
Modesto
$138,730
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$128,690
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$128,070
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$124,910
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$124,790
Merced
$124,590
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$124,510
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$123,910
Fresno
$121,700
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$121,260
Redding
$120,470
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$117,430
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$117,350
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$116,410
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$112,400
Bakersfield-Delano
$111,620
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$111,600
Stockton
$111,200
Vallejo-Fairfield
$110,680
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$108,050
Salinas
$106,930
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$106,800
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$104,040
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$99,920
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$96,350
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$94,900
Napa
$87,280
Chico
$79,830