SOC 31-9097 · Healthcare Support Occupations · May 2025

How much do Phlebotomists make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Phlebotomists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $59,800. The 10th percentile is $47,670 and the 90th percentile is $95,820. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$59,800

10th percentile
$47,670
25th percentile
$49,520
Median
$59,800
75th percentile
$75,450
90th percentile
$95,820
Mean
$64,040

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Farmworkers picking asparagus in a field in Baja California
Asparagus pickers in the Maneadero valley, Baja California. Photograph by Tomas Castelazo. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Phlebotomists, the published 10th percentile is $47,670 and the 90th percentile is $95,820. The difference is $48,150, which is 80.5% 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 $49,520 to the 75th at $75,450, covers $25,930.

The mean annual wage is $64,040, which sits above the median of $59,800. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median is 32.2% higher than the national median of $45,230 for Phlebotomists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $54,415, which is 20.3% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 6.7% higher than the California median of $56,040.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $59,800 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Phlebotomists at $54,415 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

14 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Phlebotomists. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 5th of 15 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).).

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 36 miles away, with a median of $60,600 and employment of 350. That median is 1.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $54,880, against $54,415 here.
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $58,900 and employment of 1,410. That median is 1.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,946, against $54,415 here.
  • Salinas, CA is 66 miles away, with a median of $52,940 and employment of 110. That median is 11.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $48,550, against $54,415 here.

Employment share

Phlebotomists accounts for 0.05% of wage-and-salary employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (50 of 98,500). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (143,540 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.55 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · Phlebotomists 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 Phlebotomists make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Phlebotomists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $59,800. The 10th percentile is $47,670 and the 90th percentile is $95,820. Employment is 50.

How does that compare with the national median for Phlebotomists?

The local median is 32.2% higher than the national median of $45,230.

What is Phlebotomists pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $59,800 is $54,415. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA compare with nearby metros for Phlebotomists?

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 36 miles away, at $60,600. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 5th of 15 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.