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City of Santa Monica salary estimate

$39,166yearly

$18.83 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$26,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

City of Santa Monica Salary Overview

The City of Santa Monica offers a competitive salary range, with an average annual salary of $39,166. This figure varies significantly depending on the specific job roles within the city. For instance, certain administrative and education positions command higher salaries compared to others. Understanding these variations can help prospective employees make more informed career decisions.

Top-paying positions often include roles in management and specialized services, reflecting the city's commitment to attracting skilled professionals. Detailed salary data by department reveals insights into compensation trends, allowing individuals to gauge potential earnings based on their chosen field. For example, administrative roles frequently offer salaries at the higher end of the spectrum, while entry-level positions may start lower.

Salary Insights by Department

Departments such as education and public safety tend to have the strongest pay structures, making them appealing to job seekers. Overall, the City of Santa Monica provides a transparent salary framework, enabling employees to understand their earning potential and plan their careers accordingly.

Highest paying jobs at City of Santa Monica

The highest paying jobs at City of Santa Monica are planning engineer, manager-strategic planning, police officer, and project manager. Planning engineer jobs at City of Santa Monica earn an average yearly salary of $75,930, City of Santa Monica manager-strategic planning jobs average $64,014, and City of Santa Monica police officer jobs average $61,598.

The lowest paying City of Santa Monica roles include recreation facility attendant and student worker. City of Santa Monica recreation facility attendant average salary is $23,959 per year. So while the average City of Santa Monica salary is $39,166 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at City of Santa Monica

RankJob titleAverage City of Santa Monica salaryHourly rate
1Planning Engineer$75,930$36.50
2Manager-Strategic Planning$64,014$30.78
3Police Officer$61,598$29.61
4Project Manager$61,170$29.41
5Forensic Specialist$52,645$25.31
6Requirements Manager$51,923$24.96
7Administrative Analyst$51,090$24.56
8Pipe Fitter$47,421$22.80
9Public Works Inspector$45,789$22.01
10Permit Specialist$45,035$21.65
11Administrative Internship$41,709$20.05
12Senior Operations Analyst$40,364$19.41
13Service Officer$40,334$19.39
14Combination Building Inspector$40,176$19.32
15Staff Assistant$40,106$19.28
16Records Coordinator$39,865$19.17
17Crew Leader$39,736$19.10
18Executive Secretary$39,062$18.78
19Traffic Signal Technician$39,035$18.77
20Carpenter$38,412$18.47

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City of Santa Monica salaries by department

Salaries at City of Santa Monica vary depending on the department you work in. City of Santa Monica salaries in the human resources department are the highest with an average salary of $54,846. Employees in the engineering department at City of Santa Monica receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $53,079 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at City of Santa Monica include the warehouse and the education organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $33,720 and $34,132, respectively.

Average City of Santa Monica salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage City of Santa Monica salaryHourly rate
1Human Resources$54,846$26.37
2Engineering$53,079$25.52
3Finance$51,766$24.89
4IT$48,134$23.14
5Non Profit/Government$47,649$22.91
6Marketing$46,296$22.26
7Supply Chain$45,461$21.86
8Plant/Manufacturing$42,807$20.58
9Construction$38,974$18.74
10Customer Service$37,417$17.99
11Facilities$36,590$17.59
12Administrative$36,204$17.41
13Education$34,132$16.41
14Warehouse$33,720$16.21

How much does City of Santa Monica pay by department?

Best paying City of Santa Monica administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage City of Santa Monica salaryHourly rate
1Police Evidence Technician$43,805$21.06
2Administrative Internship$41,709$20.05
3Staff Assistant$40,106$19.28
4Records Coordinator$39,865$19.17
5Executive Secretary$39,062$18.78
6Bookkeeper$36,622$17.61
7Records Specialist$35,611$17.12
8Library Page$33,691$16.20
9Office Assistant$29,766$14.31
10Mail Clerk$27,995$13.46
11Student Internship$25,980$12.49
12Student Worker$25,265$12.15

Best paying City of Santa Monica education salaries

RankPositionAverage City of Santa Monica salaryHourly rate
1Training Supervisor$38,281$18.40
2Motor Coach Operator$37,148$17.86
3Library Page$33,691$16.20
4Special Education Assistant$33,298$16.01
5Tennis Instructor$31,368$15.08
6Coach Cleaner$30,199$14.52
7Substitute Teacher's Assistant$29,537$14.20
8Lifeguard/Swim Instructor$27,654$13.30
9Pool Lifeguard$27,444$13.19
10School Aide$26,462$12.72

Best paying City of Santa Monica non profit/government salaries

RankPositionAverage City of Santa Monica salaryHourly rate
1Police Officer$61,598$29.61
2Forensic Specialist$52,645$25.31
3Program Coordinator$48,367$23.25
4Social Worker$46,791$22.50
5Code Enforcement Officer$38,917$18.71
6Program Assistant$38,309$18.42
7Social Work Internship$34,233$16.46
8Police Cadet$33,936$16.32
9Park Ranger$33,821$16.26
10Youth Worker$31,142$14.97
11Recreation Leader$28,397$13.65

City of Santa Monica competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at City of Santa Monica competitors, like City of York, City San Bernardino, and City of Miami Beach, vary. City of York employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $58,276. The average salary at City San Bernardino is $51,809 per year, and the average salary at City of Miami Beach is $51,268 per year.

Highest paying City of Santa Monica competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1City of York4.2$58,276
2City San Bernardino4.4$51,809
3City of Miami Beach3.9$51,268
4City of Lorain, OH3.1$50,942
5City of Nevada3.7$50,852
6Garden City Landscaping4.0$50,725
7City of Los Angeles4.0$49,427
8City of Middletown4.0$47,795
9Village of Niles3.9$44,654
10City of Visalia3.6$42,902
11City of Daytona Beach (inc)4.0$40,447
12City of McKinney3.8$40,432
13City of Marshall3.6$40,001
14City of Mesa4.4$39,762
15City of Lowell4.7$39,731
16City of Las Cruces Government3.4$39,019
17City of Mount Vernon3.4$38,740
18City of Redding4.1$38,042
19City Of Miami4.3$36,971
20City of Warner Robins4.0$34,145

Recently added City of Santa Monica salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Transit Mechanic I/IISanta Monica, CA06/06/2025$74,100
Motor Coach Operator TraineeSanta Monica, CA05/20/2025$44,933
Motor Coach Operator TraineeSanta Monica, CA04/16/2025$44,933
Chief Pool LifeguardSanta Monica, CA02/24/2025$57,810
Senior Transit Maintenance WorkerSanta Monica, CA02/24/2025$74,376

Frequently asked questions about City of Santa Monica salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of City of Santa Monica, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about City of Santa Monica. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at City of Santa Monica. 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 City of Santa Monica. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of City of Santa Monica and its employees or that of Zippia.

City of Santa Monica may also be known as or be related to City Of Santa Monica and City of Santa Monica.