San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
Highest-Paying Occupations in San Diego Metro
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
Figures describe the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not San Diego city limits. Occupations are ranked by published median annual wage; occupations where BLS suppressed the annual median or publishes only hourly wages are not ranked (11 such occupations here).
Top 25 of 671 occupations
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $493,670 | $237.34 | Not published |
| 2 | Psychiatrists | $335,620 | $161.36 | 310 |
| 3 | Physicians, Pathologists | $333,330 | $160.25 | 90 |
| 4 | Physicians, All Other | $323,050 | $155.31 | 4,200 |
| 5 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $321,950 | Not published | 340 |
| 6 | Family Medicine Physicians | $295,530 | $142.08 | 1,360 |
| 7 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $293,400 | $141.06 | 100 |
| 8 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $282,200 | $135.67 | Not published |
| 9 | Pediatricians, General | $262,650 | $126.28 | 630 |
| 10 | Chief Executives | $238,440 | $114.64 | 2,710 |
| 11 | Podiatrists | $235,390 | $113.17 | 60 |
| 12 | Dermatologists | $233,370 | $112.20 | Not published |
| 13 | Natural Sciences Managers | $207,200 | $99.62 | 2,890 |
| 14 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $206,740 | $99.40 | 7,250 |
| 15 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $204,290 | $98.22 | 230 |
| 16 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $202,810 | $97.51 | 3,270 |
| 17 | Nurse Midwives | $181,450 | $87.24 | 60 |
| 18 | Lawyers | $178,220 | $85.68 | 8,020 |
| 19 | Marketing Managers | $174,840 | $84.06 | 3,790 |
| 20 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $174,440 | $83.87 | 3,330 |
| 21 | Financial Managers | $174,210 | $83.76 | 7,350 |
| 22 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $173,120 | $83.23 | 100 |
| 23 | Radiation Therapists | $171,500 | $82.45 | 140 |
| 24 | Managers, All Other | $169,240 | $81.36 | 9,370 |
| 25 | Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | $168,410 | Not published | 150 |
The full list of every published occupation here is on the San Diego metro area overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.