South Central Coast Region

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The South Central Coast region is comprised of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

Top Job Openings 2020-2030

High-Skill Occupations

  • General and Operations Managers:
    • 5,500 projected job openings, $109,328 median annual wage, 125 job ads.
  • Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other:
    • 4,790 projected job openings, $106,816 median annual wage, 61 job ads.
  • Registered Nurses:
    • 3,970 projected job openings, $132,171 median annual wage, 393 job ads.
  • Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers:
    • 3,810 projected job openings, $158,861 median annual wage, 103 job ads.
  • Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education:
    • 2,680 projected job openings, $99,543 median annual wage, 39 job ads.
 

Middle-Skill Occupations

  • Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks:
    • 4,600 projected job openings, $52,182 median annual wage, 62 job ads.
  • Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers:
    • 3,270 projected job openings, $57,852 median annual wage, 74 job ads.
  • Medical Assistants:
    • 3,200 projected job openings, $49,074 median annual wage, 116 job ads.
  • Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary:
    • 2,900 projected job openings, $45,851 median annual wage, 85 job ads.
  • Nursing Assistants:
    • 2,210 projected job openings, $45,688 median annual wage, 32 job ads.
 

Entry-Level Occupations

  • Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse:
    • 37,180 projected job openings, $37,235 median annual wage, 6 job ads.
  • Fast Food and Counter Workers:
    • 17,630 projected job openings, $35,734 median annual wage, 101 job ads.
  • Cashiers:
    • 15,460 projected job openings, $36,054 median annual wage, 100 job ads.
  • Home Health and Personal Care Aides:
    • 14,440 projected job openings, $34,163 median annual wage, 157 job ads.
  • Waiters and Waitresses:
    • 12,020 projected job openings, $35,211 median annual wage, 166 job ads.

An image of the California South Central Coast region on a map of California

 

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 2020 to 2030 includes workers leaving their jobs, people changing jobs, and new jobs being created. The top 10 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 $33,280 to match state minimum wage laws as of January 1, 2024.

Information about online job ads comes from the Lightcast data series, which collects, studies, and organizes ads from many online job boards.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has split some job categories into separate groups. Here are a few examples:

  • The median wage for Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (15-1256) is based only on Software Developers (15-1252). Job ad numbers (from June 5 to August 3, 2024) include ads for both Software Developers (15-1252) and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (15-1253).
  • The median wage for Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other (13-1198) is based only on Project Management Specialists (13-1082). Job ad numbers (from June 5 to August 3, 2024) are for Project Management Specialists (13-1082).
  • The median wage for Teachers and Instructors, All Other, Except Substitute Teachers (25-3097) is based on Teaching and Instructors, All Other (25-3099). Job ad numbers (from June 5 to August 3, 2024) include ads for Tutors (25-3041) and Teaching and Instructors, All Other (25-3099).

For Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2021), the median wage in the North Coast Regional Planning Unit reflects wages in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino counties.

The job ad numbers for Home Health and Personal Care Aides (31-1120) include ads for both Home Health Aides (31-1121) and Personal Care Aides (31-1122).

The job ad numbers for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (25-9045) include ads for Teaching Assistants in Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools (25-9042), Special Education Teaching Assistants (25-9043), and Teaching Assistants, All Other (25-9049).