10 Highest-Paying Jobs in California

Anesthesiologists administer anesthetics and analgesics to keep patients from feeling pain during surgery. In addition to delivering inhaled and injected medications, anesthesiologists provide pain management before and after operations, monitor vital signs during procedures, and may also work in emergency medicine, intensive care, and palliative care.

Cardiologists specialize in the cardiovascular system — they are heart doctors, whose area of practice may focus on performing preventative procedures or running ultrasound or electrical tests. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., as well as in California, making cardiologists important to the state’s hospital system.

Orthopedic surgeons diagnose, operate on, and otherwise treat the musculoskeletal system, which is composed of the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. In addition to injuries and difficulty moving, issues that bring patients to orthopedic surgeons include arthritis, tumors, and spine and degenerative diseases.

Surgeons use manual and instrumental methods to cut tissue — because of disease, injury, or aesthetics — and to close wounds. Surgery includes a vast range of types of operations, from elective to urgent, on all systems of the body, using small cameras or scalpels, lasting minutes or days. Of all doctors, surgeons have among the longest residencies, and some of the biggest salaries.

Both optometrists and ophthalmologists perform eye exams and diagnose and treat vision problems, but ophthalmologists can also perform surgery, such as cataract removal and vision correction. California employs far more ophthalmologists than any other state, with a dense concentration in the greater Los Angeles area.

Dermatologists specialize in treating skin, hair, and nails. This field includes medical and surgical treatment of skin conditions and cancers as well as cosmetic procedures. Dermatology is rapidly expanding with a booming market for dermatology drugs and technological innovations.

California is behind only New York in the number of psychiatrists employed — both count thousands more doctors specializing in mental health than any of the other states. While most California psychiatrists are in Los Angeles, the San Jose, San Francisco, and Santa Clara areas pay them more. Psychiatrists assess patients’ mental health and can prescribe medication.

While most of the careers on this list are medical professions that require more than a decade of training, pilots can earn their credentials in two and a half years. However, most successful pilots begin with a four-year bachelor’s degree before logging hours of commercial or military flight experience. California has far and away the highest number of employed pilots.

The OBGYN medical specialty includes two branches of health: obstetrics, which studies pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, and gynecology, which studies the female reproductive system. While many doctors choose to focus on either obstetrics or gynecology, the two are grouped in postgraduate training. California employs the most OBGYNs of any state; most are located in high-paying San Francisco.

CEOs direct the policies and activities of private and public companies alongside boards of directors and other executives. California is home to nearly 40,000 chief executives. The next state on the list has less than half that number: Florida, with under 20,000. After that, it’s New York with about 7,500. The large number of business leaders in California reflects the number of businesses in the state and its status as tech mecca.