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

How much does an elementary school teacher make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, elementary school teachers earned a median of $99,260 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,000 of these jobs there. That is 81% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $62,070 and $126,150; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $73,673 in take-home pay.

Elementary school teacher pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$99,260$8,272 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$62,070—
25th percentile$74,270—
75th percentile$103,830—
90th percentile$126,150—
Jobs in this metro1,000Location quotient 1.14 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here81% aboveAll-jobs median $54,730
Against Californiaabout the same asStatewide median $99,650
Against the U.S.55% aboveNational median $63,970

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.

Elementary school teacher salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$99,260
$35,000$200,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$99,260
Net 74%
Fed 13%
CA 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$73,673After all taxes
Monthly deposit$6,139Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,834Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate25.8%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$13,007 / yr
California state income tax$4,986 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$7,593 / yr

Elementary school teachers 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 elementary school teachers earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile—$5,173$62,070$50,290
25th percentile—$6,189$74,270$58,363
MedianMedian—$8,272$99,260$73,673
75th percentile—$8,653$103,830$76,463
90th percentile—$10,513$126,150$90,003

Is $99,260 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 elementary school teachers 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 household89.3%of area median income

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

Elementary school teacher pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for elementary school teachers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $99,260 in May 2025, about $8,272 a month. Statewide, the California median for this job is $99,650, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

Is there an hourly rate for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS publishes pay for this job as an annual salary only, because the hours worked in a year vary too much to state a meaningful hourly rate.

How many elementary school teachers work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 1,000 jobs for elementary school teachers in the metro in May 2025, or 10.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.14 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $62,070 at the 10th percentile to $74,270 at the 25th, $103,830 at the 75th, and $126,150 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do elementary school teachers take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $99,260, an estimated $73,673 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,834 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $25,587 (an effective rate of 25.8%).

How much do elementary school teachers make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $99,260, gross monthly income is $8,272. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $6,139 per month (or $2,834 every two weeks).

Is $99,260 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $99,260, the median salary for elementary school teachers is 89.3% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 81% 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.