Payroll Specialist hourly rate in California
The market median wage for a Payroll Specialist in California is $44.07 an hour. A senior part-time contractor typically receives $65 an hour on Deftridge, +30% against the United States rate.
Payroll Specialist wage percentiles in California
Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median.
| Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $25.43 | $550 | $52,900 |
| 25th | $35.67 | $770 | $74,200 |
| Median | $44.07 | $950 | $91,700 |
| 75th | $54.02 | $1,170 | $112,400 |
| 90th | $62.99 | $1,360 | $131,000 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024; aged to October 2026; about 23,180 people employed in the role. How rates are built.
California in numbers
What sets California apart for a Payroll Specialist, from the same sources as the table above.
- +30%
- median wage against the United States median of $33.84
- 1st of 51
- states by median wage for this role
- 23,180
- people employed in the role in this place
- $57.26
- median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest here
- $35
- country floor: no United States rate is published below it
What contractors receive
The Deftridge rate for a Payroll Specialist in California by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown.
| Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist | $55 | $1,190 |
| Senior | $65 | $1,410 |
| Manager | $75 | $1,630 |
Payroll Specialist pay across United States
Typical contractor rate for a senior Payroll Specialist, highest first; 4 of 51 places shown. By median wage California ranks 1 of 51.
| Place | Median wage | Contractor rate |
|---|---|---|
| California | $44.07 | $65 |
| District of Columbia | $43.85 | $65 |
| New York | $38.66 | $55 |
| New Hampshire | $38.43 | $55 |
Metro areas in California
Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS).
Questions about pay, fees and privacy
The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: Pricing explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; How it works covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job.
Payroll Specialist rates in every country · Payroll Specialist jobs in California · Methodology