Phlebotomists Salary — San Luis Obispo, California

The average Phlebotomists in San Luis Obispo, California earns $55,060 a year.

$55,060 / year, mean
↑ 19.6% above national average 26th percentile in California

San Luis Obispo pays below most of California for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's a solid premium over the national average for phlebotomists. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
100
Estimate confidence
RSE 0.8%
Cost of living 109 #15 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $909,699 #7 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $93,398 #25 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: San Luis Obispo ranks #15 for cost of living and #7 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Jose $69,000 Santa Cruz $64,040 Vallejo $62,950 Santa Rosa $62,300 San Francisco $61,020 Napa $60,880 Redding $60,820 Santa Maria $59,700 San Diego $57,450 Oxnard $57,110 Modesto $56,700 Chico $56,500 Stockton $56,010 Sacramento $55,560 Los Angeles $55,550 Salinas $55,510 Merced $55,330 San Luis Obispo $55,060 Riverside $54,550 Portland $53,330 Seattle $53,290 New York $53,200 Bakersfield $52,590 Salem $52,520 Fresno $52,270 Visalia $51,320 Bellingham $50,590 Kiryas Joel $50,310 El Centro $50,270 Olympia $48,910 Kingston $48,630 Ithaca $48,600 Eugene $48,440 Trenton $47,930 Lexington Park $47,900 Medford $47,790 Kennewick $47,680 Flint $47,640 Chicago $47,420 Vineland $47,410 Atlantic City $47,380 Corvallis $47,120 Yakima $47,110 Philadelphia $47,040 Binghamton $46,660 Spokane $46,310 Richmond $46,230 Dallas $45,680 Austin $45,650 Baltimore $45,340 Reading $45,200 Champaign $45,120 Decatur $44,830 Buffalo $44,790 Port St. Lucie $44,770 Rochester $44,650 Louisville $44,610 Lexington $44,580 Allentown $44,520 Charlottesville $44,520 Traverse City $44,360 Albany $44,320 Houston $44,230 Naples $44,120 Utica $43,990 Indianapolis $43,980 Springfield $43,820 Virginia Beach $43,680 Midland $43,650 Blacksburg $43,460 Sarasota $43,350 Sebastian $43,320 Roanoke $43,300 Peoria $43,290 Harrisburg $43,280 Rockford $43,260 Hagerstown $43,240 Syracuse $43,240 Winchester $43,180 Detroit $43,170 Ann Arbor $43,110 Miami $43,050 Lancaster $42,950 York $42,950 Watertown $42,610 Bloomington $42,580 Staunton $42,380 Tampa $42,100 Pittsburgh $42,060 Kankakee $41,970 Kalamazoo $41,840 Lynchburg $41,790 Panama City $41,720 San Antonio $41,660 Fort Wayne $41,590 Jacksonville $41,580 Charleston $41,530 Orlando $41,530 Paducah $41,500 Crestview $41,300 Grand Rapids $41,230 San Angelo $41,210 Gainesville $41,070 Fort Myers $41,060 Saginaw $41,040 Waco $40,880 Wheeling $40,770 Bowling Green $40,720 Lakeland $40,710 Scranton $40,710 Erie $40,670 Longview $40,430 Elizabethtown $40,280 Lansing $40,230 Pensacola $40,220 Williamsport $40,200 Elkhart $40,180 Evansville $40,130 Ocala $39,910 Palm Bay $39,910 Wildwood $39,850 Corpus Christi $39,760 Tyler $39,600 Huntington $39,550 Killeen $39,530 Homosassa Springs $39,470 Terre Haute $39,460 Wichita Falls $39,400 Beaumont $39,310 Sebring $39,290 South Bend $39,280 Morgantown $39,220 Deltona $39,210 Lubbock $39,160 Sherman $39,130 Odessa $39,080 Tallahassee $38,910 Amarillo $38,760 College Station $38,680 El Paso $38,120 Weirton $37,960 Victoria $37,760 Muncie $37,490 Altoona $37,280 Texarkana $36,510 McAllen $36,440 Abilene $36,340 Brownsville $36,260 Beckley $36,220 Laredo $35,250 Johnstown $34,870 Eagle Pass $33,250
CityMean salaryvs. San Luis Obispo
Abilene, Texas$36,340-34.0%
Albany, New York$44,320-19.5%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$44,520-19.1%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$37,280-32.3%
Amarillo, Texas$38,760-29.6%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$43,110-21.7%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$47,380-13.9%
Austin, Texas$45,650-17.1%
Bakersfield, California$52,590-4.5%
Baltimore, Maryland$45,340-17.7%
Beaumont, Texas$39,310-28.6%
Beckley, West Virginia$36,220-34.2%
Bellingham, Washington$50,590-8.1%
Binghamton, New York$46,660-15.3%
Blacksburg, Virginia$43,460-21.1%
Bloomington, Illinois$42,580-22.7%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$40,720-26.0%
Brownsville, Texas$36,260-34.1%
Buffalo, New York$44,790-18.7%
Fort Myers, Florida$41,060-25.4%
Champaign, Illinois$45,120-18.1%
Charleston, West Virginia$41,530-24.6%
Charlottesville, Virginia$44,520-19.1%
Chicago, Illinois$47,420-13.9%
Chico, California$56,500+2.6%
College Station, Texas$38,680-29.7%
Corpus Christi, Texas$39,760-27.8%
Corvallis, Oregon$47,120-14.4%
Crestview, Florida$41,300-25.0%
Dallas, Texas$45,680-17.0%
Decatur, Illinois$44,830-18.6%
Deltona, Florida$39,210-28.8%
Detroit, Michigan$43,170-21.6%
Eagle Pass, Texas$33,250-39.6%
El Centro, California$50,270-8.7%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$40,280-26.8%
Elkhart, Indiana$40,180-27.0%
El Paso, Texas$38,120-30.8%
Erie, Pennsylvania$40,670-26.1%
Eugene, Oregon$48,440-12.0%
Evansville, Indiana$40,130-27.1%
Flint, Michigan$47,640-13.5%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$41,590-24.5%
Fresno, California$52,270-5.1%
Gainesville, Florida$41,070-25.4%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$41,230-25.1%
Hagerstown, Maryland$43,240-21.5%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$43,280-21.4%
Homosassa Springs, Florida$39,470-28.3%
Houston, Texas$44,230-19.7%
Huntington, West Virginia$39,550-28.2%
Indianapolis, Indiana$43,980-20.1%
Ithaca, New York$48,600-11.7%
Jacksonville, Florida$41,580-24.5%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$34,870-36.7%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$41,840-24.0%
Kankakee, Illinois$41,970-23.8%
Kennewick, Washington$47,680-13.4%
Killeen, Texas$39,530-28.2%
Kingston, New York$48,630-11.7%
Kiryas Joel, New York$50,310-8.6%
Lakeland, Florida$40,710-26.1%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$42,950-22.0%
Lansing, Michigan$40,230-26.9%
Laredo, Texas$35,250-36.0%
Lexington, Kentucky$44,580-19.0%
Lexington Park, Maryland$47,900-13.0%
Longview, Texas$40,430-26.6%
Los Angeles, California$55,550+0.9%
Louisville, Kentucky$44,610-19.0%
Lubbock, Texas$39,160-28.9%
Lynchburg, Virginia$41,790-24.1%
McAllen, Texas$36,440-33.8%
Medford, Oregon$47,790-13.2%
Merced, California$55,330+0.5%
Miami, Florida$43,050-21.8%
Midland, Texas$43,650-20.7%
Modesto, California$56,700+3.0%
Morgantown, West Virginia$39,220-28.8%
Muncie, Indiana$37,490-31.9%
Napa, California$60,880+10.6%
Naples, Florida$44,120-19.9%
New York, New York$53,200-3.4%
Sarasota, Florida$43,350-21.3%
Ocala, Florida$39,910-27.5%
Odessa, Texas$39,080-29.0%
Olympia, Washington$48,910-11.2%
Orlando, Florida$41,530-24.6%
Oxnard, California$57,110+3.7%
Paducah, Kentucky$41,500-24.6%
Palm Bay, Florida$39,910-27.5%
Panama City, Florida$41,720-24.2%
Pensacola, Florida$40,220-27.0%
Peoria, Illinois$43,290-21.4%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$47,040-14.6%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$42,060-23.6%
Portland, Oregon$53,330-3.1%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$44,770-18.7%
Reading, Pennsylvania$45,200-17.9%
Redding, California$60,820+10.5%
Richmond, Virginia$46,230-16.0%
Riverside, California$54,550-0.9%
Roanoke, Virginia$43,300-21.4%
Rochester, New York$44,650-18.9%
Rockford, Illinois$43,260-21.4%
Sacramento, California$55,560+0.9%
Saginaw, Michigan$41,040-25.5%
Salem, Oregon$52,520-4.6%
Salinas, California$55,510+0.8%
San Angelo, Texas$41,210-25.2%
San Antonio, Texas$41,660-24.3%
San Diego, California$57,450+4.3%
San Francisco, California$61,020+10.8%
San Jose, California$69,000+25.3%
Santa Cruz, California$64,040+16.3%
Santa Maria, California$59,700+8.4%
Santa Rosa, California$62,300+13.1%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$40,710-26.1%
Seattle, Washington$53,290-3.2%
Sebastian, Florida$43,320-21.3%
Sebring, Florida$39,290-28.6%
Sherman, Texas$39,130-28.9%
South Bend, Indiana$39,280-28.7%
Spokane, Washington$46,310-15.9%
Springfield, Illinois$43,820-20.4%
Staunton, Virginia$42,380-23.0%
Stockton, California$56,010+1.7%
Syracuse, New York$43,240-21.5%
Tallahassee, Florida$38,910-29.3%
Tampa, Florida$42,100-23.5%
Terre Haute, Indiana$39,460-28.3%
Texarkana, Texas$36,510-33.7%
Traverse City, Michigan$44,360-19.4%
Trenton, New Jersey$47,930-12.9%
Tyler, Texas$39,600-28.1%
Utica, New York$43,990-20.1%
Vallejo, California$62,950+14.3%
Victoria, Texas$37,760-31.4%
Vineland, New Jersey$47,410-13.9%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$43,680-20.7%
Visalia, California$51,320-6.8%
Waco, Texas$40,880-25.8%
Watertown, New York$42,610-22.6%
Weirton, West Virginia$37,960-31.1%
Wheeling, West Virginia$40,770-26.0%
Wichita Falls, Texas$39,400-28.4%
Wildwood, Florida$39,850-27.6%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$40,200-27.0%
Winchester, Virginia$43,180-21.6%
Yakima, Washington$47,110-14.4%
York, Pennsylvania$42,950-22.0%
Gross salary
55,060/yr
Estimated take-home
44,925/yr
Est. total withheld
18.4%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Phlebotomists salaries in California → All Phlebotomists salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for San Luis Obispo

These notes add local color around San Luis Obispo, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 31-9097 SOC code
Official area San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 42020 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Paso Robles
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
281,486