Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for payroll and timekeeping clerks in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of payroll and timekeeping clerks 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 Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$38,050
25th Percentile Wage
$46,330
50th Percentile Wage
$57,330
75th Percentile Wage
$68,110
90th Percentile Wage
$81,310

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for payroll and timekeeping clerks in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $81,310. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $57,330. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $38,050.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of payroll and timekeeping clerks from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$57,330
1.52% 25.57%
2021
$56,460
2.90% -
2020
$54,820
2.66% -
2019
$53,360
4.61% -
2018
$50,900
3.22% -
2017
$49,260
4.93% -
2016
$46,830
3.22% -
2015
$45,320
3.31% -
2014
$43,820
1.00% -
2013
$43,380
1.64% -
2012
$42,670
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of payroll and timekeeping clerks in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of payroll and timekeeping clerks in state of California ranges from $39,600 to $68,520. The highest paying area for payroll and timekeeping clerks in California is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara with a median annual salary of $68,520. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (mean annual salary $67,480). The lowest paying area is Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $39,600.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$68,520
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$67,480
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$64,130
Vallejo-Fairfield
$62,280
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$61,820
Napa
$60,270
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$58,660
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$57,910
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$57,900
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$57,880
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$56,990
Madera-Chowchilla
$56,640
Hanford-Corcoran
$56,280
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$56,160
Modesto
$55,510
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$55,080
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$55,080
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$54,450
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$54,370
Stockton
$53,070
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$52,000
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$50,200
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$49,970
Merced
$49,660
Yuba City
$49,000
Chico
$48,700
Fresno
$47,990
Salinas
$47,920
Redding
$47,610
Visalia-Porterville
$46,410
Bakersfield-Delano
$46,170
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$45,790
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$45,690
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$45,180
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$44,720
El Centro
$44,670
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$41,260
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$39,600