CalSTRS salaries

Q: Is the pay good at CalSTRS?

Yes, the pay is good at CalSTRS. Compared to the industry average of $55,730 per year, the average annual salary at CalSTRS is $62,328, which is 11.84% higher.

Q: What is the starting pay at CalSTRS?

The starting pay at CalSTRS is $34,000 per year, or $16.35 per hour.

Q: How much does CalSTRS pay an hour?

CalSTRS pays $29.97 an hour, on average.

Zippia score 4.1

CalSTRS salary estimate

$62,328yearly

$29.97 hourly rate

Entry-level salary

$34,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

CalSTRS Salary Overview

At CalSTRS, salaries can differ significantly based on the position and department. The average salary is $62,328, with the highest earning roles including portfolio managers, who average $114,224 annually, and assistant general counsels, whose earnings can reach $108,596. In contrast, entry-level positions like student assistants earn around $26,584.

Salaries by Department

Departments play a crucial role in salary variation. The finance department offers the highest average at $86,861, while the engineering department also provides competitive salaries at around $74,730. However, roles in retail and administrative functions see lower averages of $32,448 and $36,059, respectively.

Comparative Insights

When compared to similar organizations, CalSTRS remains competitive. For example, the California Public Utilities Commission offers an average salary of $73,264, while the Employees Retirement System of Texas averages $65,839.

Highest paying jobs at CalSTRS

The highest paying jobs at CalSTRS are portfolio manager, assistant general counsel, lead architect, and investment officer. Portfolio manager jobs at CalSTRS earn an average yearly salary of $114,224, CalSTRS assistant general counsel jobs average $108,596, and CalSTRS lead architect jobs average $102,120.

The lowest paying CalSTRS roles include student assistant and contact agent. CalSTRS student assistant average salary is $26,584 per year. So while the average CalSTRS salary is $62,328 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at CalSTRS

Rank	Job title	Average CalSTRS salary	Hourly rate
1	Portfolio Manager	$114,224	$54.92
2	Assistant General Counsel	$108,596	$52.21
3	Lead Architect	$102,120	$49.10
4	Investment Officer	$100,242	$48.19
5	Principal Consultant	$94,300	$45.34
6	SAP BW Consultant	$84,457	$40.60
7	Network Engineer	$80,273	$38.59
8	Design Manager	$76,909	$36.98
9	Business Partner	$75,695	$36.39
10	Application Specialist	$73,130	$35.16
11	Program Analyst	$72,209	$34.72
12	Business Services Supervisor	$70,778	$34.03
13	Administrator	$69,141	$33.24
14	Project Director	$64,346	$30.94
15	Support Analyst	$62,840	$30.21
16	Sustainable Communities Designer	$59,337	$28.53
17	Technical Writer	$57,326	$27.56
18	Accountant	$55,128	$26.50
19	Staff Auditor	$53,403	$25.67
20	Auditor Supervisor	$52,600	$25.29

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CalSTRS salaries by department

Salaries at CalSTRS vary depending on the department you work in. CalSTRS salaries in the finance department are the highest with an average salary of $86,861. Employees in the engineering department at CalSTRS receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $74,730 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at CalSTRS include the retail and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $32,448 and $36,059, respectively.

Average CalSTRS salary by department

Rank	Department	Average CalSTRS salary	Hourly rate
1	Finance	$86,861	$41.76
2	Engineering	$74,730	$35.93
3	Non Profit/Government	$71,780	$34.51
4	Business Development	$71,155	$34.21
5	IT	$69,135	$33.24
6	Plant/Manufacturing	$53,357	$25.65
7	Construction	$52,958	$25.46
8	Human Resources	$52,035	$25.02
9	Accounting	$51,518	$24.77
10	Customer Service	$48,276	$23.21
11	Research & Development	$47,156	$22.67
12	Administrative	$36,059	$17.34
13	Retail	$32,448	$15.60

How much does CalSTRS pay by department?

Best paying CalSTRS finance salaries

Rank	Position	Average CalSTRS salary	Hourly rate
1	Portfolio Manager	$114,224	$54.92
2	Investment Officer	$100,242	$48.19
3	Principal Consultant	$94,300	$45.34
4	Senior Consultant	$88,550	$42.57
5	Staff Analyst	$82,222	$39.53
6	Program Analyst	$72,209	$34.72

Best paying CalSTRS IT salaries

Rank	Position	Average CalSTRS salary	Hourly rate
1	Enterprise Program Manager	$105,852	$50.89
2	Lead Architect	$102,120	$49.10
3	Information Technology Analyst	$91,006	$43.75
4	Internal Audit Manager	$85,113	$40.92
5	Network Engineer	$80,273	$38.59
6	Information Systems Analyst	$77,143	$37.09
7	Network/Server Administrator	$57,587	$27.69
8	Management Services Technician	$52,323	$25.16

Best paying CalSTRS administrative salaries

Rank	Position	Average CalSTRS salary	Hourly rate
1	Business Services Supervisor	$70,778	$34.03
2	Administrator	$69,141	$33.24
3	Office Technician	$35,768	$17.20
4	Student Assistant	$26,584	$12.78

CalSTRS competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at CalSTRS competitors, like California Public Utilities Commission, SCT, and Employees Retirement System Of Texas, vary. California Public Utilities Commission employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $73,264. The average salary at SCT is $70,244 per year, and the average salary at Employees Retirement System Of Texas is $65,839 per year.

Highest paying CalSTRS competitors

Rank	Company name	Zippia score	Average salary
1	California Public Utilities Commission	4.4	$73,264
2	SCT	4.5	$70,244
3	Employees Retirement System Of Texas	4.4	$65,839
4	North Carolina Department Of Public Instruction	3.8	$63,470
5	Judicial Council of California	4.3	$62,624
6	Overseas Private Investment	4.5	$56,946
7	Basel	3.9	$54,460
8	Department of Transport of Western Australia	4.2	$54,184
9	Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund	3.7	$52,060
10	Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York	4.2	$50,702
11	Saginaw County	3.6	$50,333
12	Arizona State Retirement System	4.3	$44,375
13	Delaware State Government	4.0	$41,557
14	Virginia Retirement System	4.3	$40,159

Recently added CalSTRS salaries

Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Training and Communications Analyst	Sacramento, CA	02/28/2025	$70,260
Associate Portfolio Manager, Inflation Sensitive	Sacramento, CA	02/28/2025	$140,004
Director of Employer Services	Sacramento, CA	02/24/2025	$156,960
Investment Officer I, Investment Performance	Sacramento, CA	02/13/2025	$50,856
Senior Writer and Publication Supervisor	Sacramento, CA	02/13/2025	$87,360

Frequently asked questions about CalSTRS salaries

Is the pay good at CalSTRS?

What is the starting pay at CalSTRS?

How much does CalSTRS pay an hour?

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Updated December 15, 2025

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of CalSTRS, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about CalSTRS. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at CalSTRS. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by CalSTRS. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of CalSTRS and its employees or that of Zippia.

CalSTRS may also be known as or be related to CalSTRS and Calstrs.