SOC 17-2031 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025

How much do Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is $128,270. The 10th percentile is $92,400 and the 90th percentile is $169,480. Employment is 410.

Median annual wage

$128,270

10th percentile
$92,400
25th percentile
$102,270
Median
$128,270
75th percentile
$150,290
90th percentile
$169,480
Mean
$129,110

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods
Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $92,400 and the 90th percentile is $169,480. The difference is $77,080, which is 60.1% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $102,270 to the 75th at $150,290, covers $48,020.

The mean annual wage is $129,110, which sits above the median of $128,270. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is 17.3% higher than the national median of $109,370 for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $114,642, which is 4.8% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is about the same as the California median of $128,310.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111.887, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $128,270 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers at $114,642 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

2 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA ranks 1st of 3 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is 110 miles away, with a median of $128,240 and employment of 910. That median is about the same as the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $112,921, against $114,642 here.
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 111 miles away, with a median of $123,670 and employment of 170. That median is 3.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $116,185, against $114,642 here.

Employment share

Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers accounts for 0.03% of wage-and-salary employment in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (410 of 1,538,060). Nationally the occupation is 0.02% of employment (23,480 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.77 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is $128,270. The 10th percentile is $92,400 and the 90th percentile is $169,480. Employment is 410.

How does that compare with the national median for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers?

The local median is 17.3% higher than the national median of $109,370.

What is Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111.887, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $128,270 is $114,642. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with nearby metros for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers?

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 110 miles away, at $128,240. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA ranks 1st of 3 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.