Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does an accountant or auditor make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, accountants or auditors earned a median of $84,920 a year ($40.83 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 740 of these jobs there. That is 55% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $55,650 and $135,540; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $64,919 in take-home pay.

Accountant or auditor pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$84,920$40.83 per hour · $7,077 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$55,650$26.75/hr
25th percentile$72,220$34.72/hr
75th percentile$108,940$52.38/hr
90th percentile$135,540$65.17/hr
Jobs in this metro740Location quotient 0.81 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here55% aboveAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California12% belowStatewide median $97,050
Against the U.S.1% aboveNational median $83,680

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Accountant or auditor salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$84,920
$30,000$170,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$84,920
Net 76%
Fed 12%
CA 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$64,919After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,410Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,497Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate23.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$9,852 / yr
California state income tax$3,653 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$6,496 / yr

Accountants or auditors pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What accountants or auditors earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$26.75/hr$4,638$55,650$45,516
25th percentile$34.72/hr$6,018$72,220$57,085
MedianMedian$40.83/hr$7,077$84,920$64,919
75th percentile$52.38/hr$9,078$108,940$79,583
90th percentile$65.17/hr$11,295$135,540$95,547

Is $84,920 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for accountants or auditors next to both.

Median household income$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household76.4%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Accountant or auditor pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for accountants or auditors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for accountants or auditors in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $84,920 in May 2025, about $7,077 a month or $40.83 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $97,050, so the metro pays 12% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for accountants or auditors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for accountants or auditors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $40.83 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $26.75 an hour and one in ten earned more than $65.17.

How many accountants or auditors work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 740 jobs for accountants or auditors in the metro in May 2025, or 7.5 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.81 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for accountants or auditors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for accountants or auditors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $55,650 at the 10th percentile to $72,220 at the 25th, $108,940 at the 75th, and $135,540 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do accountants or auditors take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $84,920, an estimated $64,919 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,497 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $20,001 (an effective rate of 23.6%).

How much do accountants or auditors make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $84,920, gross monthly income is $7,077. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,410 per month (or $2,497 every two weeks).

Is $84,920 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $84,920, the median salary for accountants or auditors is 76.4% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 55% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.