Electrical Engineers pay range in Santa Maria
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $82,880 a year or less, while the top 10% make $209,530 or more. The middle half of electrical engineers in Santa Maria earn between $101,440 and $169,780.
- $83K10th
- $101K25th
- $135KMedian
- $170K75th
- $210K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $141,670 | $11,806 | $68.11 |
| Median | $134,640 | $11,220 | $64.73 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $101,440 | $8,453 | $48.77 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $169,780 | $14,148 | $81.62 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Electrical Engineers salary after taxes in Santa Maria
On the average salary of $141,670, a single filer in Santa Maria takes home about $99,014 a year, or $8,251 a month and $3,808 every two weeks. Taxes take 30% 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 electrical engineers? 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 $141,670 buys what about $130,214 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Maria ($51,690). A typical home costs $1,005,339, or 7.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Electrical Engineers salary in other California cities
Santa Maria ranks 7th of 20 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($189,370).
- San Jose$189,370
- San Francisco$162,170
- Santa Rosa$148,660
- Santa Cruz$147,650
- Los Angeles$145,760
- Vallejo$144,580
- Santa Maria$141,670
- Sacramento$141,080
- Fresno$137,150
- Salinas$136,120
Highest-paying cities for electrical engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($189,370).
- San Jose, CA$189,370
- San Francisco, CA$162,170
- Albuquerque, NM$158,230
- Austin, TX$157,930
- Manchester, NH$149,130
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Electrical Engineers salary in Santa Maria: questions
How much do electrical engineers make an hour in Santa Maria?
$68.11 an hour on average, and $64.73 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level electrical engineers salary in Santa Maria?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $82,880 a year and the 25th percentile is $101,440, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the electrical engineers take-home pay in Santa Maria?
About $99,014 a year ($8,251 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $141,670. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do electrical engineers earn more in Santa Maria than elsewhere?
The average here is 13% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($125,905).
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 17-2071; area Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (42200). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.3%.
- 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 0.88, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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