Graduate Teaching Assistant Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for graduate teaching assistants in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of graduate teaching assistants amongst California cities 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 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Graduate Teaching Assistants in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$26,130
25th Percentile Wage
$28,830
50th Percentile Wage
$35,310
75th Percentile Wage
$42,880
90th Percentile Wage
$48,900

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for graduate teaching assistants in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $48,900. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $35,310. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $26,130.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of graduate teaching assistants from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$35,310
3.34% -5.89%
2017
$34,130
3.84% -
2016
$32,820
6.09% -
2015
$30,820
7.75% -
2014
$28,430
-0.49% -
2013
$28,570
-30.87% -
2012
$37,390
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Graduate Teaching Assistants in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of graduate teaching assistants in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of graduate teaching assistants in state of California ranges from $26,280 to $44,530. The highest paying area for graduate teaching assistants in California is Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville with a median annual salary of $44,530. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $43,210). The lowest paying area is Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine with a median annual salary of $26,280.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$44,530
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$43,210
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$38,880
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$35,830
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$35,710
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$35,650
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$34,140
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$31,710
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$30,730
Fresno
$29,760
Salinas
$28,210
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$26,730
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$26,280