San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a receptionist make in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA?

In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area, receptionists earned a median of $44,390 a year ($21.34 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 6,690 of these jobs there. That is 24% below the $58,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,520 and $56,330; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $37,089 in take-home pay.

Receptionist pay in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA at a glance

Median salary

$44,390$21.34 per hour · $3,699 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,520$17.08/hr
25th percentile$38,330$18.43/hr
75th percentile$47,460$22.82/hr
90th percentile$56,330$27.08/hr
Jobs in this metro6,690Location quotient 0.74 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here24% belowAll-jobs median $58,690
Against California1% aboveStatewide median $44,100
Against the U.S.17% aboveNational median $38,010

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.

Receptionist salary in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA after taxes

$44,390
$15,000$90,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$44,390
Net 84%
Fed 7%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$37,089After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,091Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,427Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,147 / yr
California state income tax$758 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,396 / yr

Receptionists pay range in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What receptionists earned in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$17.08/hr$2,960$35,520$30,317
25th percentile$18.43/hr$3,194$38,330$32,462
MedianMedian$21.34/hr$3,699$44,390$37,089
75th percentile$22.82/hr$3,955$47,460$39,427
90th percentile$27.08/hr$4,694$56,330$46,022

Is $44,390 a good salary in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA?

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

Median household income$106,268Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)111.911.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household41.8%of area median income

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

Receptionist pay in San Diego-Chula Vista, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for receptionists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for receptionists in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area was $44,390 in May 2025, about $3,699 a month or $21.34 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $44,100, so the metro pays 1% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for receptionists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

The median hourly wage for receptionists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA was $21.34 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.08 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.08.

How many receptionists work in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

BLS estimated 6,690 jobs for receptionists in the metro in May 2025, or 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.74 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for receptionists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

BLS wage estimates for receptionists in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA run from $35,520 at the 10th percentile to $38,330 at the 25th, $47,460 at the 75th, and $56,330 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do receptionists take home after taxes in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

On a median gross salary of $44,390, an estimated $37,089 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,427 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,301 (an effective rate of 16.4%).

How much do receptionists make per month in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

On the median annual salary of $44,390, gross monthly income is $3,699. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,091 per month (or $1,427 every two weeks).

Is $44,390 a good salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

At $44,390, the median salary for receptionists is 41.8% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median household income ($106,268). It is 24% below the $58,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 111.9, so prices here run 11.9% above the U.S. average.