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The highest-paying job in California pays staggering average of $347K per year

Nypost · · 779 words · By Benjamin Brown
Income Inequality Labor Market Statistics Public Sector Compensation
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The highest-paying job in California pays staggering average of $347K per year See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The highest-paying job in California pays staggering average of $347K per year See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on GoogleOphthalmology is the highest paying career on average in California, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show.

Common ground

The average wage for the role, which is for doctors specializing in eye care, is a staggering $347,690 while the state’s average income for all earners is just $80,690, the data from May 2025 said.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/25/us-news/jobs-in-the-medical-field-are-among-the-hi…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
schedule Pending 2
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“Ophthalmology is the highest paying career on average in California, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (KFI AM 640, and other news reports) confirm that BLS data shows ophthalmologists earn the highest salaries in California.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and stati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Labor_Statistics
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The labor force is the actual number of people 16 years and older available for work and is the sum of the employed and the unemployed. The U.S. labor force reached a record high of 170.7 million civi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_force_in_the_United_Stat…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The nature and power of organized labor in the United States is the outcome of historical tensions among counter-acting forces involving workplace rights, wages, working hours, political expression, l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_history_of_the_United_St…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The average wage for the role, which is for doctors specializing in eye care, is a staggering $347,690”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources explicitly cite the average annual wage for ophthalmologists in California as $347,690 based on BLS data.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — California () is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, and Nevada and Arizona to the east; it also shares an international border with th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — California City is a city located in northern Antelope Valley in Kern County, California, United States. It is 100 miles (160 km) north of the city of Los Angeles, and the population was 14,973 at the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The California is an EP released in 2000 by Dressy Bessy on Kindercore. The EP's sound has been described as 1960s-inspired girl group pop music. The Riverfront Times called the album "a textbook exam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_California
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“the state’s average income for all earners is just $80,690, the data from May 2025 said.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the claim mentions a specific date (May 2025) and figure ($80,690), the provided evidence for this claim consists only of general Wikipedia entries for the month of May and the city of May, California. No economic data was found to verify or refute this specific average income figure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May is a former settlement in Amador County, California. It was located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Carbondale, at an elevation of 223 feet (68 m). A post office operated at May from 1881 to 1920.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May,_California
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May Company California was an American department store chain founded in 1881 as A. Hamburger & Sons by Asher Hamburger. It was renamed after its acquisition by The May Department Stores Company in 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Company_California
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In Georgia, the average annual wage of a cardiologist is $616,040 while the average wage among all occupations is just $65,920.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate news sources (WJBF, KFOR, and another federal data report) corroborate that cardiologists are the top-paying occupation in Georgia with average annual wages over $600,000. While the exact $616,040 and $65,920 figures aren't explicitly written in the snippets, the general fact is corroborated across multiple outlets reporting the same BLS data set.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgia most commonly refers to: Georgia (country) or Caucasian Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgia ( JOR-jə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic, and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina and South Carolina to the northeas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the coast of the Black Sea. It is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, and is today generally regarded as part of Europe. It is b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Pilots make an average of $288,659 while CEOs and athletes bring in $269,630 and $206,180, respectively.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'average' and general Wikipedia entries for 'CEO'. No specific wage data for pilots, CEOs, or athletes was found in the evidence to verify these figures.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A founder CEO, often written as founder / CEO and also as founder & CEO is an individual who establishes a company as a founding CEO and holds its chief executive officer, organizational founder (CEO)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder_CEO
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Diary of a CEO is a podcast hosted and produced by British entrepreneur and investor Steven Bartlett. The first episode was released on September 29, 2017. The first interview for the podcast was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_CEO
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Lawyers ranked number six with an average annual wage of $185,850.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources report lawyers ranking sixth with an average annual wage around $185,840 - $185,850.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Lawyers, often viewed as one of the nation's highest-paying professions, ranked sixth among non-health care occupations at $185,840. Financial ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/highest-paying-jobs-us-accordin…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 6, 2026 · Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in the World: 1. Anesthesiologist – keeps you asleep during surgery 2. Surgeon – keeps you alive during surgery 3 ...
https://www.facebook.com/joshrinconofficial/posts/top-10-hig…
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Lawyers ranked number six with an average annual wage of $185,850. The annual wage data estimates include tips and commission, however ...
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/healthcare/articles/highes…
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“The single highest-paying listing was a deputy chief investment officer role at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) in Sacramento, which carries a base salary range of $28,325 to $47,208 per month, according to the state-run job site CalCareers.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Glassdoor and a news report from Feb 26, 2026, confirm the deputy chief investment officer role at CalPERS has a base salary range of $28,325 to $47,208 per month.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — $28,325.00 - $47,208.33 per Month New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when ...
https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/deputy-chief-investmen…
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web search NEUTRAL — This range is provided by California Air Resources Board. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/deputy-executive-officer-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 26, 2026 ... In the most extreme case, the deputy chief investment officer position at CalPERS carries a base salary of up to $47,208 per month, and the ...
https://nypost.com/2026/02/26/us-news/heres-how-much-califor…
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“the nation’s largest public pension fund, which lists approximately $599.5 billion in total assets as of Jan. 2.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent news sources report that CalPERS had approximately $599.5 billion in total assets as of Jan. 2.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... ... approximately $599.5 billion in total assets as of Jan. 2. The job ... CalPERS was also hiring a global fixed income managing ...
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/healthcare/articles/highes…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... ... approximately $599.5 billion in total assets as of Jan. 2. The job ... CalPERS was also hiring a global fixed income managing ...
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/california-post/20260526/282…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 26, 2026 ... ... (CalPERS) in Sacramento, which carries a base salary range of $28,325 to ... approximately $599.5 billion in total assets as of Jan. 2.
https://nypost.com/2026/02/26/us-news/heres-how-much-califor…
info
“CalPERS was also hiring a global fixed income managing investment director with a base salary of $25,750 to $42,916 per month”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim appears in the text of the articles provided in the evidence for other claims (e.g., 'The highest-paying job in California pays staggering average of...'), but there is no independent corroboration from a second distinct source organization.
info
“the deputy chief investment officer position at CalPERS carries a base salary of up to $47,208 per month, and the posting stated it was eligible for annual and long-term incentive awards of up to 180% of salary each”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim regarding the 180% incentive award is mentioned in one news report ('Here's how much California's highest paying state jobs earn'), but is not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.
schedule
“The second-highest base salary listing earlier this year was a prison health care executive job in Sacramento County that pays between $33,740 and $42,090 per month, according to CalCareers.”
PENDING
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“A chief psychiatrist position at North Kern State Prison in Delano is offering between $34,420 and $35,280 per month”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.