Editors pay range in Santa Maria
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,610 a year or less, while the top 10% make $132,910 or more. The middle half of editors in Santa Maria earn between $50,570 and $84,270.
- $43K10th
- $51K25th
- $73KMedian
- $84K75th
- $133K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $77,750 | $6,479 | $37.38 |
| Median | $73,300 | $6,108 | $35.24 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $50,570 | $4,214 | $24.31 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $84,270 | $7,022 | $40.51 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Editors salary after taxes in Santa Maria
On the average salary of $77,750, a single filer in Santa Maria takes home about $60,380 a year, or $5,032 a month and $2,322 every two weeks. Taxes take 22% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Santa Maria a good place for editors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Maria area are 9% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 108.8), so the average $77,750 buys what about $71,463 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Maria ($51,690). A typical home costs $1,005,339, or 12.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Editors salary in other California cities
Santa Maria ranks 10th of 15 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($120,530).
- San Jose$120,530
- Los Angeles$119,300
- San Francisco$114,540
- Santa Rosa$95,580
- Sacramento$88,410
- Oxnard$86,840
- San Diego$84,000
- San Luis Obispo$82,570
- Fresno$78,580
- Santa Maria$77,750
Highest-paying cities for editors
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($120,530).
- San Jose, CA$120,530
- Los Angeles, CA$119,300
- New York, NY$119,160
- San Francisco, CA$114,540
- Waterbury, CT$110,240
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Editors salary in Santa Maria: questions
How much do editors make an hour in Santa Maria?
$37.38 an hour on average, and $35.24 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level editors salary in Santa Maria?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,610 a year and the 25th percentile is $50,570, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the editors take-home pay in Santa Maria?
About $60,380 a year ($5,032 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $77,750. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do editors earn more in Santa Maria than elsewhere?
The average here is 18% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($94,300).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-3041; area Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (42200). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 4.3%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.61, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.61).
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