Compared with the local labor market
Engineering Geologist pay vs. California
Across all employers in California, the median wage for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers — about 3,350 people — is $106,500. California Coastal Commission pays a median base salary of $138,919 for this role, 30% above that figure — about the 75th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where California Coastal Commission sits in the local pay range
$45,540
$73,850
$106,500
$138,120
$171,270
California Coastal Commission median · $138,919
The bar is the range of annual wages for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows California Coastal Commission’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers — about 23,470 people — is $101,920. California Coastal Commission’s median base salary is 36% above that national figure, about the 75th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$59,330
$75,110
$101,920
$139,380
$200,230
California Coastal Commission median · $138,919
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at California Coastal Commission is $141,392, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Engineering Geologist beyond California
This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $118,883 ranks #3 of 3. See Engineering Geologist across all of California →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Engineering Geologist roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.