Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary Salary in Los Angeles, CA (2024)
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn a median of $45,420 per year based on 50,760 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +28.9% against the national median of $35,240 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where teaching assistants, except postsecondary actually sit across the pay range in Los Angeles, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.46 | $36,320 | |
| 25th percentile | $18.00 | $37,440 | |
| Median | — | $45,420 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $23.06 | $47,970 | |
| 90th percentile | $27.54 | $57,290 | |
| Average (mean) | — | $45,140 |
How Los Angeles, CA compares
The local median of $45,420 runs +28.9% above the US median of $35,240 for this occupation; it pays 15.1% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($53,490); within the metro it ranks 591st of 733 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA — this occupation | $45,420 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $35,240 | +28.9% |
| Los Angeles, CA — all occupations | $53,490 | -15.1% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $49,980 | -9.1% |
The location quotient of 0.92 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.1%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 591st of 733 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles, CA
To put $45,420 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 591st.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $235,930 | — |
| Chief Executives | $231,500 | 12,420 |
| Lawyers | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| Podiatrists | $193,510 | 370 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,410 | 24,260 |
| Nurse Midwives | $190,230 | 190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,400 | 8,850 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $179,990 | — |
| Commercial Pilots | $177,300 | 2,110 |
| Dentists, General | $176,200 | 4,300 |
Where teaching assistants, except postsecondary earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $27,540 to $49,980. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,980 | 20,120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $47,630 | 17,140 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $46,070 | 21,130 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,420 | 50,760 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $43,010 | 11,530 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $42,010 | 22,780 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $38,580 | 27,250 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $38,060 | 12,770 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $37,980 | 25,480 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $37,070 | 123,210 |
See the full national picture on the Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for teaching assistants, except postsecondary in Los Angeles, CA?
The median annual wage is $45,420. That means half of the teaching assistants, except postsecondary working in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $45,140.
What do the highest and lowest paid teaching assistants, except postsecondary in Los Angeles, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $36,320 or less, while the top 10% earn $57,290 or more — a spread of $20,970 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $37,440 and $47,970.
Is teaching assistants, except postsecondary pay in Los Angeles, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 15.1% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $53,490. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Los Angeles, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $45,420 the metro median is 28.9% higher than the US median of $35,240 for teaching assistants, except postsecondary. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $27,540 to $49,980.
How many teaching assistants, except postsecondary work in Los Angeles, CA?
BLS counts about 50,760 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 8.19 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.92 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 4.4%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.