High paying science jobs in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single science 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA run 8.6% above the national average (2024), so a San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA salary is worth about 0.92× 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 science jobs in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

OccupationMedian, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA · Employed

1Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$155,960
Doctoral or professional degree
$94,340 – $215,14090
2Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$125,070
Doctoral or professional degree
$94,850 – $161,93070
3Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$117,420
Bachelor's degree
$65,330 – $142,30050
4Urban and Regional Planners$109,920
Master's degree
$76,740 – $136,270100
5Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$105,810
Bachelor's degree
$68,520 – $142,560210
6Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$101,560
Bachelor's degree
$63,130 – $142,13070
7Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$92,640
Bachelor's degree
$71,000 – $128,62040
8Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health$90,720
Associate's degree
$50,050 – $110,80040
9Biological Scientists, All Other$90,640
Bachelor's degree
$49,790 – $178,51060
10Chemists$86,060
Bachelor's degree
$57,530 – $127,97040
11Agricultural Technicians$62,900
Associate's degree
$45,350 – $75,34060
12Food Science Technicians$53,530
Associate's degree
$44,610 – $76,33080
13Chemical Technicians$46,950
Associate's degree
$36,290 – $81,00040

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

#	Occupation	MedianSan Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$155,960	$94,340 – $215,140	90
2	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$125,070	$94,850 – $161,930	70
3	Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and GeographersBachelor's degree	$117,420	$65,330 – $142,300	50
4	Urban and Regional PlannersMaster's degree	$109,920	$76,740 – $136,270	100
5	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$105,810	$68,520 – $142,560	210
6	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$101,560	$63,130 – $142,130	70
7	Social Scientists and Related Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$92,640	$71,000 – $128,620	40
8	Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including HealthAssociate's degree	$90,720	$50,050 – $110,800	40
9	Biological Scientists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$90,640	$49,790 – $178,510	60
10	ChemistsBachelor's degree	$86,060	$57,530 – $127,970	40
11	Agricultural TechniciansAssociate's degree	$62,900	$45,350 – $75,340	60
12	Food Science TechniciansAssociate's degree	$53,530	$44,610 – $76,330	80
13	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$46,950	$36,290 – $81,000	40

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA to rank honestly.

High paying science jobs in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

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