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Office & Admin · Santa Cruz-Watsonville

Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other Salary

in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Others in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA make a median of $72,830 a year, or about $35.02 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $97K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $66,269 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 88.6% of take-home, which is tight.

Our verdict:Rough. This salary fights the rent
Median pay
$73K
per year, before taxes
Hourly
$35.02
median hourly rate
Starting out
$41K
10th percentile
Top earners
$97K
90th percentile

Where the paycheck goes

What $73K actually covers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, month by month

Take-home pay
after estimated taxes
$4,725/mo
Rent
2-bedroom median (HUD)
-$4,214/mo
Groceries
scaled to local prices
-$431/mo
Utilities
power, water, internet
-$215/mo
Transportation
car, gas, transit
-$378/mo
Healthcare *
employee share only
-$251/mo
Rent as % of take-home89.2% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Left over each month-$764/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.

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About office and administrative support workers, all others

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
U.S. employed: 192,260
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA employed: 150
Category: Office & Admin

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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville

Santa Cruz-Watsonville sits well above the national pay line for office and administrative support workers, all other, local pay runs about 59% higher than the U.S. median of $46K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 89.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for office and administrative support workers, all others in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Bar chart showing Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other salary percentiles in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: 10th percentile $41,270, 25th percentile $50,270, median $72,830, 75th percentile $87,700, 90th percentile $96,570. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$41K25th$50KMedian$73K75th$88K90th$97K
Bar chart showing Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other salary percentiles in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: 10th percentile $41,270, 25th percentile $50,270, median $72,830, 75th percentile $87,700, 90th percentile $96,570. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level office and administrative support workers, all others (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $73K. Top earners bring in $97K or more, a $55K spread from bottom to top.

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Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
District of Columbia$69K+50%1,030
Idaho$61K+34%240
Rhode Island$58K+28%70
Alaska$58K+27%430
New Mexico$57K+25%170
North Dakota$54K+19%1,510
California$54K+18%23,120
Colorado$53K+17%1,650
Vermont$53K+17%190
Virginia$53K+16%5,890
Oklahoma$52K+15%210
Wyoming$52K+15%40
Iowa$52K+13%3,020
Oregon$52K+13%3,600
New Jersey$51K+12%2,760
South Carolina$51K+12%650
Washington$50K+10%3,240
Alabama$50K+9%700
Kentucky$50K+9%470
Missouri$50K+9%2,280
Delaware$50K+9%750
Maryland$49K+8%16,030
Indiana$49K+7%290
North Carolina$49K+7%6,420
Utah$48K+6%2,370
Pennsylvania$48K+5%2,970
Mississippi$48K+5%300
Nevada$48K+4%3,050
Montana$48K+4%290
Michigan$47K+3%4,510
Wisconsin$46K+1%2,290
Maine$46K+0%140
Arizona$44K-4%3,990
Texas$43K-6%22,960
Illinois$42K-8%2,790
Tennessee$42K-9%5,000
Massachusetts$41K-11%930
Louisiana$41K-11%4,720
Georgia$40K-12%4,310
Connecticut$40K-12%3,750
New Hampshire$40K-13%230
Nebraska$39K-15%690
Arkansas$39K-16%1,450
Minnesota$38K-18%6,050
Florida$37K-20%27,020
Hawaii$35K-24%1,800
Ohio$30K-34%2,760
Kansas$30K-34%370
West Virginia$27K-42%590
12345

Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track office and administrative support workers, all other salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Cruz-Watsonville numbers change.

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Quick answers

The stuff people actually ask about this job

Can a office and administrative support workers, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $73K, rent takes 89.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for office and administrative support workers, all others in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new office and administrative support workers, all others typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,864/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 147% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is office and administrative support workers, all other a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

Local pay is 59% above the national median — $73K here vs. $46K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 10% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.

How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for office and administrative support workers, all others?

Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $73K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s +59%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — still ahead of the national median.

How much do office and administrative support workers, all others make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median is $72,830 a year, that works out to about $35 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $41,270, and experienced office and administrative support workers, all others can clear $96,570. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $73K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,725/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 89.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

How far does a office and administrative support workers, all other salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median office and administrative support workers, all other salary is worth about $66,269 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do office and administrative support workers, all others get paid the most?

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.

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