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Arts & Media

Producers and Directors Salary

in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

The median pay for a producers and directors in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA is $71,500/year ($34.38/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $165K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 108.6), so that salary is closer to $65,838 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,512/month, about 53.8% of take-home, which is tight.

$72K
Median annual
$34.38/hr
Hourly rate
$45K
Entry level (10th %)
$165K
Senior level (90th %)

So what does $72K get you in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

Estimated take-home pay$4,656/mo
Rent (2BR median)-$2,512/mo
Rent as % of take-home54% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Groceries-$426/mo
Utilities-$213/mo
Transportation-$374/mo
Healthcare *-$248/mo
Left over$883/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles’s Regional Price Parity (108.6). 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 producers and directors

Education: Bachelor's degree
U.S. employed: 143,120
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA employed: 60
Category: Arts & Media

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What this looks like in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles

Pay for producers and directors in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $90K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,512/month, which is 54% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 108.6), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for producers and directorss.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for producers and directors in metros near San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

Bar chart showing Producers and Directors salary percentiles in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA: 10th percentile $44,720, 25th percentile $55,450, median $71,500, 75th percentile $100,170, 90th percentile $164,620. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$45K25th$55KMedian$72K75th$100K90th$165K
Bar chart showing Producers and Directors salary percentiles in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA: 10th percentile $44,720, 25th percentile $55,450, median $71,500, 75th percentile $100,170, 90th percentile $164,620. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level producers and directors (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $72K. Top earners bring in $165K or more, a $120K spread from bottom to top.

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Producers and Directors pay across states

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

View Producers and Directors salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
California$130K+44%34,110
New Jersey$120K+33%2,970
New York$108K+19%27,990
District of Columbia$104K+15%2,640
Connecticut$88K-2%2,200
Oregon$87K-3%1,640
Rhode Island$84K-7%560
Washington$82K-10%2,270
Illinois$81K-10%3,170
Massachusetts$81K-10%3,440
Georgia$80K-12%5,010
Florida$80K-12%7,160
Maryland$79K-12%1,610
Nevada$78K-13%1,630
Colorado$78K-14%1,960
Minnesota$76K-15%1,390
Utah$76K-16%1,670
Pennsylvania$75K-16%4,200
Tennessee$73K-19%2,920
Delaware$73K-20%150
Texas$72K-21%6,610
Maine$71K-21%400
Ohio$69K-23%1,610
Arizona$67K-25%1,720
Missouri$66K-26%1,630
Wisconsin$66K-27%1,600
Hawaii$66K-27%510
Virginia$66K-27%2,820
Michigan$66K-27%2,310
North Carolina$64K-30%3,500
Alabama$63K-30%1,040
Louisiana$63K-30%880
Oklahoma$62K-32%770
New Hampshire$62K-32%300
Idaho$61K-32%380
Kansas$61K-33%420
Wyoming$60K-33%130
South Dakota$60K-33%170
Indiana$60K-34%1,480
Iowa$59K-35%720
North Dakota$58K-36%170
South Carolina$56K-38%1,190
Vermont$56K-38%290
Kentucky$55K-40%950
Alaska$54K-40%160
Montana$53K-42%390
Nebraska$53K-42%470
Mississippi$48K-47%390
West Virginia$47K-48%230
Arkansas$39K-57%700
12345

Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data

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

Track producers and directors salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles numbers change.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a producers and director afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $72K, rent takes 54% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,512/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 producers and directors in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new producers and directors typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,683/month. At HUD’s $2,512/month FMR, rent would take 94% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is producers and director a high-paying job in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $72K here vs. $90K nationally.

How does San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles compare to the national average for producers and directors?

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles pays $72K median vs. the U.S. average of $90K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 108.6), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — below the national median.

How much do producers and directors make in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?

The median is $71,500 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $44,720, and experienced producers and directors can clear $164,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $72K enough to live in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,656/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,512/month, which eats 54% 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 producers and directors salary go in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles?

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles has a Regional Price Parity of 108.6 (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 producers and directors salary is worth about $65,838 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do producers and directors 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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