High paying office and admin jobs in California with no experience

The best paid office and admin occupations in California that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in California run 10.7% above the national average (2024), so a California salary is worth about 0.90× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in California.

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

Find office jobs in California

OccupationMedian, California · Employed

1Public Safety Telecommunicators$80,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,350 – $108,6508,520
2Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks$65,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,120 – $92,08020,590
3Postal Service Clerks$63,650
No formal educational credential
$54,330 – $76,3606,410
4Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs$63,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,320 – $82,96030,960
5Court, Municipal, and License Clerks$63,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,110 – $84,19012,460
6Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$63,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,070 – $95,40056,080
7Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$62,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,710 – $106,58027,470
8Postal Service Mail Carriers$62,090
No formal educational credential
$43,120 – $81,04032,320
9Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$59,490
No formal educational credential
$47,440 – $75,28010,090
10Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$59,230
Some college, no degree
$41,600 – $81,990151,870
11Information and Record Clerks, All Other$58,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,360 – $80,95018,010
12Bill and Account Collectors$57,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,520 – $81,44013,880
13Cargo and Freight Agents$57,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,430 – $83,06017,060
14Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$57,590
Associate's degree
$41,300 – $78,37011,490
15Loan Interviewers and Clerks$57,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,170 – $75,94014,680
16Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan$56,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,330 – $77,74022,250
17Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks$56,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,280 – $77,28023,470
18Word Processors and Typists$56,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,760 – $65,72010,270
19Billing and Posting Clerks$56,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,840 – $77,26041,290
20Procurement Clerks$56,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,100 – $75,1107,080
21Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$55,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,060 – $78,170158,630
22Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$54,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,650 – $76,020115,050
23Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other$54,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,000 – $85,26023,120
24Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$52,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $81,07023,970
25Customer Service Representatives$49,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,110 – $75,700176,850
26Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks$49,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,630 – $76,45010,580
27File Clerks$49,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,780 – $78,1009,520
28Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service$48,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,380 – $79,2606,680
29Office Clerks, General$48,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,190 – $73,220311,490
30Library Assistants, Clerical$47,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,920 – $68,81011,170
31Order Clerks$47,290
Some college, no degree
$37,170 – $66,58012,390
32Data Entry Keyers$47,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,490 – $61,52014,520
33Tellers$46,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,030 – $58,66025,230
34Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$46,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,390 – $64,65088,760
35Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping$45,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,490 – $59,9907,510
36Couriers and Messengers$44,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,200 – $57,3607,240
37Receptionists and Information Clerks$44,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,410 – $58,80082,470
38Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks$39,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,910 – $54,02027,810

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

#	Occupation	MedianCalifornia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Public Safety TelecommunicatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,120	$49,350 – $108,650	8,520
2	Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,340	$46,120 – $92,080	20,590
3	Postal Service ClerksNo formal educational credential	$63,650	$54,330 – $76,360	6,410
4	Eligibility Interviewers, Government ProgramsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,520	$47,320 – $82,960	30,960
5	Court, Municipal, and License ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,320	$49,110 – $84,190	12,460
6	Production, Planning, and Expediting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,000	$44,070 – $95,400	56,080
7	Legal Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,860	$40,710 – $106,580	27,470
8	Postal Service Mail CarriersNo formal educational credential	$62,090	$43,120 – $81,040	32,320
9	Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$59,490	$47,440 – $75,280	10,090
10	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing ClerksSome college, no degree	$59,230	$41,600 – $81,990	151,870
11	Information and Record Clerks, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,680	$42,360 – $80,950	18,010
12	Bill and Account CollectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,930	$38,520 – $81,440	13,880
13	Cargo and Freight AgentsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,690	$38,430 – $83,060	17,060
14	Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and TimekeepingAssociate's degree	$57,590	$41,300 – $78,370	11,490
15	Loan Interviewers and ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,300	$39,170 – $75,940	14,680
16	Interviewers, Except Eligibility and LoanHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,880	$41,330 – $77,740	22,250
17	Insurance Claims and Policy Processing ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,800	$40,280 – $77,280	23,470
18	Word Processors and TypistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,380	$40,760 – $65,720	10,270
19	Billing and Posting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,260	$42,840 – $77,260	41,290
20	Procurement ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,160	$40,100 – $75,110	7,080
21	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and ExecutiveHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,400	$38,060 – $78,170	158,630
22	Medical Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,490	$40,650 – $76,020	115,050
23	Office and Administrative Support Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,020	$37,000 – $85,260	23,120
24	Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and AmbulanceHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,350	$39,520 – $81,070	23,970
25	Customer Service RepresentativesHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,560	$38,110 – $75,700	176,850
26	Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,420	$41,630 – $76,450	10,580
27	File ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,040	$36,780 – $78,100	9,520
28	Switchboard Operators, Including Answering ServiceHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,840	$37,380 – $79,260	6,680
29	Office Clerks, GeneralHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,460	$36,190 – $73,220	311,490
30	Library Assistants, ClericalHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,860	$36,920 – $68,810	11,170
31	Order ClerksSome college, no degree	$47,290	$37,170 – $66,580	12,390
32	Data Entry KeyersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,010	$37,490 – $61,520	14,520
33	TellersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,900	$38,030 – $58,660	25,230
34	Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,520	$37,390 – $64,650	88,760
35	Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, RecordkeepingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,730	$37,490 – $59,990	7,510
36	Couriers and MessengersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,970	$36,200 – $57,360	7,240
37	Receptionists and Information ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,100	$36,410 – $58,800	82,470
38	Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,360	$35,910 – $54,020	27,810

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in California. 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.

More for California

Metro areas in California

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in California

Without a degree

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

High paying office and admin jobs in California with no experience

More for California

Metro areas in California

By field in California

Without a degree

High paying office and admin jobs in each state with no experience