The median full-time Los Angeles city-government employee earned $90,792 in base pay (2025 payroll, in 2026 dollars) against a private-sector median of $67,048 in the metro, a gap of +35%. At the 90th percentile, city pay was $169,655 against $189,971 privately (-11%).
By domain, city pay trails the private sector most in Legal (-20%), Software and IT (-18%), and Finance (-13%) and leads in Protective service (+225%) and Education (+59%). The payroll file covers 54,873 employees; 77% of titles map to a domain.
Los Angeles city pay by occupation domain
| Occupation domain | City median | Private median (metro) | Gap at median | City 90th pct | Private 90th pct | Gap at 90th | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | $90,792 | $67,048 | +35% | $169,655 | $189,971 | -11% | 54,873 |
| Admin and clerical | $77,428 | $54,822 | +41% | $138,795 | $100,573 | +38% | 13,034 |
| Education | $115,121 | $72,636 | +59% | $136,964 | $139,684 | -2% | 470 |
| Engineering | $125,577 | $132,481 | -5% | $175,345 | $224,202 | -22% | 3,350 |
| Finance | $88,048 | $100,573 | -13% | $160,765 | $290,543 | -45% | 1,278 |
| Healthcare | $144,397 | $100,573 | +44% | $214,443 | $223,495 | -4% | 63 |
| Legal | $129,444 | $162,034 | -20% | $315,414 | $405,953 | -22% | 289 |
| Management | $126,559 | $111,747 | +13% | $231,303 | $279,368 | -17% | 2,023 |
| Protective service | $145,258 | $44,699 | +225% | $189,100 | $116,891 | +62% | 14,180 |
| Skilled trades | $70,956 | $55,874 | +27% | $123,144 | $111,747 | +10% | 6,484 |
| Software and IT | $98,675 | $119,934 | -18% | $163,808 | $251,432 | -35% | 1,089 |