South Central Coast Region
The South Central Coast region is comprised of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
Top Job Openings 2022-2032
High-Skill Occupations
- General and Operations Managers:
- 4,330 projected job openings, $109,674 median annual wage, 106 job ads.
- Registered Nurses:
- 3,300 projected job openings, $137,093 median annual wage, 387 job ads.
- Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers:
- 2,530 projected job openings, $163,192 median annual wage, 54 job ads.
- Accountants and Auditors:
- 2,120 projected job openings, $87,148 median annual wage, 43 job ads.
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education:
- 1,900 projected job openings, $100,314 median annual wage, 17 job ads.
Middle-Skill Occupations
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks:
- 4,250 projected job openings, $59,471 median annual wage, 64 job ads.
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary:
- 4,060 projected job openings, $45,917 median annual wage, 136 job ads.
- Medical Assistants:
- 3,900 projected job openings, $50,396 median annual wage, 120 job ads.
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers:
- 3,340 projected job openings, $59,214 median annual wage, 100 job ads.
- Nursing Assistants:
- 2,790 projected job openings, $47,413 median annual wage, 59 job ads.
Entry-Level Occupations
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse:
- 35,480 projected job openings, $38,006 median annual wage, 9 job ads.
- Fast Food and Counter Workers:
- 20,550 projected job openings, $38,006 median annual wage, 148 job ads.
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides:
- 18,430 projected job openings, $34,497 median annual wage, 176 job ads.
- Cashiers:
- 14,060 projected job openings, $36,771 median annual wage, 100 job ads.
- Waiters and Waitresses:
- 12,910 projected job openings, $35,367 median annual wage, 145 job ads.
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program has combined some detailed job categories from 2018 into broader categories or special groupings to improve data quality.
The total number of expected job openings from 2022 to 2032 includes workers leaving their jobs, people changing jobs, and new jobs being created. The top 5 jobs were chosen based on these total job openings.
Median wages are the middle point of what workers earn in the first quarter of 2024. Half of the workers earn less than the median wage, and half earn more. These wages do not include self-employed people or unpaid family workers. The median yearly wage has been rounded up to $34,320 to match state minimum wage laws as of January 1, 2025.
Information about online job ads comes from the Lightcast data series, which collects, studies, and organizes ads from many online job boards.