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

How much does a medical secretary make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, medical secretaries earned a median of $50,230 a year ($24.15 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 720 of these jobs there. That is 8% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $44,400 and $70,120; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $41,486 in take-home pay.

Medical secretary pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$50,230$24.15 per hour · $4,186 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$44,400$21.35/hr
25th percentile$47,240$22.71/hr
75th percentile$60,120$28.90/hr
90th percentile$70,120$33.71/hr
Jobs in this metro720Location quotient 1.19 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here8% belowAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California8% belowStatewide median $54,490
Against the U.S.9% aboveNational median $45,930

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.

Medical secretary salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$50,230
$20,000$105,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$50,230
Net 83%
Fed 8%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$41,486After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,457Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,596Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,848 / yr
California state income tax$1,053 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,843 / yr

Medical secretaries 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 medical secretaries earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$21.35/hr$3,700$44,400$37,097
25th percentile$22.71/hr$3,937$47,240$39,263
MedianMedian$24.15/hr$4,186$50,230$41,486
75th percentile$28.90/hr$5,010$60,120$48,840
90th percentile$33.71/hr$5,843$70,120$55,775

Is $50,230 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 medical secretaries 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 household45.2%of area median income

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

Medical secretary pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for medical secretaries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for medical secretaries in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $50,230 in May 2025, about $4,186 a month or $24.15 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $54,490, so the metro pays 8% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for medical secretaries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for medical secretaries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $24.15 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $21.35 an hour and one in ten earned more than $33.71.

How many medical secretaries work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 720 jobs for medical secretaries in the metro in May 2025, or 7.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.19 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for medical secretaries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for medical secretaries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $44,400 at the 10th percentile to $47,240 at the 25th, $60,120 at the 75th, and $70,120 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do medical secretaries take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $50,230, an estimated $41,486 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,596 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $8,744 (an effective rate of 17.4%).

How much do medical secretaries make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $50,230, gross monthly income is $4,186. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,457 per month (or $1,596 every two weeks).

Is $50,230 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $50,230, the median salary for medical secretaries is 45.2% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 8% below 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.