High paying business and finance jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Every business and finance occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single business and finance job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run 9.9% above the national average (2024), so a Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA salary is worth about 0.91× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find business jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

OccupationMedian, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · Employed

1Labor Relations Specialists$128,320
Bachelor's degree
$79,900 – $194,41040
2Personal Financial Advisors$122,170
Bachelor's degree
$56,990 – $271,79080
3Project Management Specialists$106,780
Bachelor's degree
$55,040 – $167,690440
4Management Analysts$105,480
Bachelor's degree
$64,320 – $168,700450
5Logisticians$104,320
Bachelor's degree
$65,660 – $158,110110
6Financial Risk Specialists$101,280
Bachelor's degree
$86,320 – $135,62040
7Financial and Investment Analysts$99,820
Bachelor's degree
$74,140 – $132,070150
8Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators$95,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,940 – $143,32060
9Compliance Officers$86,510
Bachelor's degree
$50,540 – $153,500200
10Accountants and Auditors$84,920
Bachelor's degree
$55,650 – $135,540740
11Human Resources Specialists$84,690
Bachelor's degree
$59,060 – $135,020450
12Business Operations Specialists, All Other$84,010
Bachelor's degree
$47,380 – $162,360630
13Fundraisers$82,310
Bachelor's degree
$50,030 – $119,990130
14Cost Estimators$80,170
Bachelor's degree
$52,520 – $160,220150
15Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists$79,480
Bachelor's degree
$53,660 – $98,560230
16Loan Officers$78,940
Bachelor's degree
$40,160 – $136,74070
17Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$78,880
Bachelor's degree
$48,170 – $145,600440
18Training and Development Specialists$77,400
Bachelor's degree
$44,930 – $127,790280
19Buyers and Purchasing Agents$77,250
Bachelor's degree
$47,430 – $117,070260
20Tax Preparers$71,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,530 – $93,73060
21Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners$67,550
Bachelor's degree
$47,830 – $106,270110
22Financial Specialists, All Other$62,720
Bachelor's degree
$37,390 – $101,42050

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianSanta Cruz-Watsonville, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Labor Relations SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$128,320	$79,900 – $194,410	40
2	Personal Financial AdvisorsBachelor's degree	$122,170	$56,990 – $271,790	80
3	Project Management SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$106,780	$55,040 – $167,690	440
4	Management AnalystsBachelor's degree	$105,480	$64,320 – $168,700	450
5	LogisticiansBachelor's degree	$104,320	$65,660 – $158,110	110
6	Financial Risk SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$101,280	$86,320 – $135,620	40
7	Financial and Investment AnalystsBachelor's degree	$99,820	$74,140 – $132,070	150
8	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and InvestigatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$95,730	$50,940 – $143,320	60
9	Compliance OfficersBachelor's degree	$86,510	$50,540 – $153,500	200
10	Accountants and AuditorsBachelor's degree	$84,920	$55,650 – $135,540	740
11	Human Resources SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$84,690	$59,060 – $135,020	450
12	Business Operations Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$84,010	$47,380 – $162,360	630
13	FundraisersBachelor's degree	$82,310	$50,030 – $119,990	130
14	Cost EstimatorsBachelor's degree	$80,170	$52,520 – $160,220	150
15	Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$79,480	$53,660 – $98,560	230
16	Loan OfficersBachelor's degree	$78,940	$40,160 – $136,740	70
17	Market Research Analysts and Marketing SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$78,880	$48,170 – $145,600	440
18	Training and Development SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$77,400	$44,930 – $127,790	280
19	Buyers and Purchasing AgentsBachelor's degree	$77,250	$47,430 – $117,070	260
20	Tax PreparersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$71,800	$43,530 – $93,730	60
21	Meeting, Convention, and Event PlannersBachelor's degree	$67,550	$47,830 – $106,270	110
22	Financial Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$62,720	$37,390 – $101,420	50

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA to rank honestly.

High paying business and finance jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

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