Computer and Information Systems Managers in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$146,155
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$72,135
33.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$129,822
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$218,290
Kept after tax
$146,155
Worth in national money
$129,822
State rank
1
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. California pays this job a middle wage of $218,290, ranking 1 of 51 states and sitting about 24.64% above the national middle.
- Within California this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, this job ranks 5 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $218,290 the take-home is $146,155. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $129,822 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $238,440, because the best-paid pull it up.
- California's median for computer and information systems managers is $218,290, about 24.64% above the national figure and 1 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Ranked against every occupation California publishes a median for, computer and information systems managers sits 5 of 492 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $146,155 for computer and information systems managers, from $218,290. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $129,822. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $238,440 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Computer and Information Systems Managers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $129,970 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $218,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $325,970 |
| This salary | $218,290 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in California | $146,155 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $162,364 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$37,262 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $196,282 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$50,201 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in California earn less than $218,290. The published range is $129,970 up to $325,970, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In California the take-home figure of $146,155, from $218,290, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 5 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of California, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $129,822, the adjusted value of that $218,290 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 5 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for computer and information systems managers in California the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $129,970 to $325,970. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for California is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $146,155 from $218,290. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 5 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for California, so $129,822 — the adjusted value of that $218,290 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 5 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $238,440 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $129,970 and the top tenth $325,970 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in California run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $129,822 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; California then takes its own share, leaving $146,155.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in California is $238,440. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($129,970) and the ninetieth ($325,970) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $129,822 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $146,155 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.