Are the salaries in SD really that bad? (San Diego: how much, job market)

[Flightoficarus87]

Hey all,

So, as the thread title suggests, I'm here to ask people who live in SD - Are the salaries for professional jobs really that bad, compared to other high COL cities, like Boston, SF, Seattle, etc? I mainly ask because I've gotten conflicting reports on this matter. Some have told me that they pay you in "sunshine dollars" in SD, whereas other sources seem to suggest there are pretty good opportunities/pay available, just maybe not quite to the level of the most robust job markets.

Since I'm guessing this varies by field, I'm mainly curious about business type roles (business/financial analyst, sales, etc).

Thanks!

[Rambler21]

I work in media and can confirm the "pay in sunshine" rumor.

[RosieSD]

The U.S. Department of Labor publishes data on median salaries for different types of occupations in various cities, including San Diego. You might find that useful in making comparisons with other cities.

Here is the data for the San Diego Metro area:

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_41740.htm#11-0000

If you want to compare the pay in those occupations in San Diego to other metro areas, you can look up the data for many cities here: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_41740.htm

As an example, the average annual salary for all "management occupations" in San Diego is $124,220. In Boston, it's $135,750. In Chicago, it's $117,320.

If you want to drill down to specific occupations, look below the main category (click on the link to open) and you'll see lists of specific jobs.

For instance, open that "management occupations" list and you'll see that the median salary for a CEO in San Diego is $223,700. In Boston, it's $226,110. And, in Chicago, it's $206,600.

The median annual salary for a marketing manager in San Diego is $152,350. In Boston, it's $145,650. In Chicago, it's $124,220.

Pretty much every occupation you can think of is covered, and if you can't find what you're looking for, go over to the BLS Occupational Handbook and look up the occupation. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Of course, what any particular individual will actually make in a particular occupation - regardless of location - is going to depend on that individual's education and training, experience, skills, the industry the business is in, and their negotiating skills.

But this will give you a way to compare data in different cities.

[cruitr]

Not only are the salaries lower in San Diego, the typical relocation reimbursements are minimal. Employers think that everyone wants to live in San Diego and pay accordingly.

When my wife and I relocated out here about 15 years ago, it took about a year of negotiating. Her new employer initially offered a few thousand dollars for relocation costs with a minimal salary increase.

A year later, their offer was a bit more realistic. My wife's skills were rare out here and in the end we got what we wanted.

You probably won't make money moving to San Diego. You really need to like the San Diego lifestyle. We do. In fact, we are retiring here. The housing costs are high and the taxes are higher. But we enjoy the San Diego lifestyle.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

My job would typically make 20 grand more in just about any other big city. It still pays really well but not what it would in say, Chicago or NYC.

[snpdragr]

When I was in the Bay Area, friends would always complain that their relative had a job offer but the cost of housing made it a non-starter. Even for high level positions.

But (also anecdotally) when I see salaries posted here in San Diego, I think that's what we paid the intern. You'd be better off in SF Bay.

Grass is always greener though...

[stablegenius]

When I moved from NoCal to San Diego 10 years ago, I saw that the pay was a bit lower for comparable positions that I was in (back then I did Graphics). At that time it didn't matter too much, because housing was still pretty reasonable compared to the Bay Area. Housings is still cheaper than the Bay Area, but it has come up a lot in 10 years, and salaries don't seem to have moved much at all. I went from 78k in 2008, down to 64k (housing crash), back to 72, then 78, then 80, 85, 87500, 83, 85, finally around 89k just last year. 10k in 10 years. Others may have a different experience, but I could not seem to move the needle, and I interviewed A LOT. I finally got fed up and left last June. I was interviewing intensely for 6 months before I moved, and most jobs wanted to pay less than what I was making. Granted I had moved from graphics to web development, but that should pay more, not less. I was seeing web development jobs with a lot of requirements paying around 80-85k. I was blown away. I couldn't believe how low they were paying developers. Yes it was higher than some other cities, but not by much, and not when you compare the cost of living in other places, like Texas and Florida.

So in my experience, yes it pays less. Yes there is a sunshine tax. Is it worth it? Up to you I guess. for the first 5 years or so I'm sure you're going to feel that it is very worth it. In my case I got fed up with the companies and insulted by how much they lowballed.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Above posts are spot on.

In general for standard issue "operations" type of jobs, yes, SD will pay lower from lower level to mid level/Director level.

Contracting is and has become a "go to" to try out execution level jobs anymore. Strategic level jobs can be hit or miss.

The exceptions to this are specialized skills and or industries that require a knowledge mix beyond what a contractor can be used for. That still pays at or near the top, but really at that point, its not a San Diego thing as much as it is a highly in demand type of need.

[sdurbanite]

The salaries in San Diego (And most other cities) always look bad when compared to known high paying cities like SF, Seattle, DC, Boston, etc.

The chart below shows looks pretty good to me. The same cities mentioned at the top and the bottom look to be the same as what I've seen in other lists relating to salaries.

[cruitr]

shmoov_groovzsd... nice to see you again. We need to get this forum back on track. I'm tired of San Diego wannabees.

I will have extra tickets to the USS Midway 4th of July event. If you want to meet us, I will have
extra tickets. Just post your interest here. I no longer accept direct messages. Too many weirdos out there.