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

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

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, receptionists earned a median of $44,980 a year ($21.63 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 510 of these jobs there. That is 18% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $36,410 and $62,360; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $37,540 in take-home pay.

Receptionist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$44,980$21.63 per hour · $3,748 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$36,410$17.51/hr
25th percentile$38,980$18.74/hr
75th percentile$49,810$23.95/hr
90th percentile$62,360$29.98/hr
Jobs in this metro510Location quotient 0.89 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here18% belowAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California2% aboveStatewide median $44,100
Against the U.S.18% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$44,980
$15,000$90,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$44,980
Net 83%
Fed 7%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$37,540After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,128Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,444Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,218 / yr
California state income tax$782 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,441 / yr

Receptionists 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 receptionists earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$17.51/hr$3,034$36,410$30,996
25th percentile$18.74/hr$3,248$38,980$32,959
MedianMedian$21.63/hr$3,748$44,980$37,540
75th percentile$23.95/hr$4,151$49,810$41,174
90th percentile$29.98/hr$5,197$62,360$50,505

Is $44,980 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 receptionists 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 household40.5%of area median income

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

Receptionist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

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

The BLS median annual wage for receptionists in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $44,980 in May 2025, about $3,748 a month or $21.63 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $44,100, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

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

The median hourly wage for receptionists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $21.63 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.51 an hour and one in ten earned more than $29.98.

How many receptionists work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 510 jobs for receptionists in the metro in May 2025, or 5.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.89 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

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

BLS wage estimates for receptionists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $36,410 at the 10th percentile to $38,980 at the 25th, $49,810 at the 75th, and $62,360 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

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

On a median gross salary of $44,980, an estimated $37,540 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,444 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,440 (an effective rate of 16.5%).

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

On the median annual salary of $44,980, gross monthly income is $3,748. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,128 per month (or $1,444 every two weeks).

Is $44,980 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $44,980, the median salary for receptionists is 40.5% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 18% 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.