Labor Costs

Occupational Employment and Wages by Major Occupational Group

Major Occupational Group
Percent U.S. Employment
Percent City Employment
U.S. Mean Hourly Wage
City Mean Hourly Wage
U.S.-City Wage Difference†
Management 5.0% 5.9%* $55.30 $24.30* -2%
Business and Financial Operations
5.1% 4.2% $35.48 $54.28 -1%
Computer and Mathematical
2.9% 1.5%* $41.43 $35.03 9%
Architecture and Engineering
1.8% 1.8% $39.89 $45.27* 7%
Life, Physical and Social Science
0.8% 1.0%* $34.24 $37.77* 10%
Community and Social Science
1.4% 1.6%* $22.19 $24.68* 11%
Legal 0.8% 0.4% $49.74 $45.73 -8%
Education, Training and Library
6.2% 6.4% $25.48 $24.83 -3%
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media
1.3% 1.1%* $27.39 $26.71 -2%
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical
5.8% 5.6% $37.40 $41.83* 12%
Healthcare Support
2.9% 2.5% $14.19 $18.52* 31%
Protective Service
2.4% 1.5%* $21.45 $26.19* 22%
Food Preparation and Severing Related
9.1% 10.9%* $10.98 $12.92* 18%
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
3.2% 4.1%* $13.02 $15.01* 15%
Personal Care and Service
3.1% 3.5% $12.33 $14.80* 20%
Sales and Related
10.5% 11.6% $18.90 $18.83 0%
Office and Administrative Support
15.8% 14.9%* $17.47 $19.62* 12%
Farming, Fishing and Forestry
0.3% 1.3%* $12.67 $13.51* 7%
Construction and Extraction
4.0% 4.5%* $22.88 $28.59* 25%
Installation, Maintenance and Repair
3.9% 3.4%* $22.11 $25.10* 14%
Production 6.6%
6.4%* $17.41 $18.16* 4%
Transportation and Material Moving
6.9%
6.0%* $16.90 $16.87 0%
Total 100% 100% $23.23 $24.30* 5%
† A positive percent difference measures how much the mean wage in Santa Rosa is above the national mean wage, while a negative difference reflects a lower wage.
* The percent share of employment or mean hourly wage for this area is significantly different from the national average of all areas at the 90% confidence level.

Source: United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - May 2015.

Employment Taxes & Mandated Benefits

Tax/Benefit Rate/Basis Administrative Agency
Disability Insurance
The State Disability Insurance (SD) withholding rate for 2012 is 1.0%. The taxable wage limit is $95,585 for each employee per calendar year. The maximum to withhold for each employee is $955.85. (SDI is withheld from employee wages.)
State of California Employment Development Department
Employment Training Tax
The Employment Training Tax (ETT) rate for 2012 is 0.1%. The UI and ETT taxable wage limit remains at $7,000 per employee per calendar year. (ETT is paid by employer.)
State of California Employment Development Department
Unemployment Insurance
UI contribution rates from 1.5% to 6.2%. The taxable wage limit is $7,000 per employee. (UI is paid by employer.)
State of California Employment Development Department
Workers' Compensation
Rate varies based on payroll and occupation.
Sate of California Department of Industrial Relations
Family Leave Program (a component of the employee-paid Disability Insurance Program)
Employees are entitled to up to 6 weeks of partial pay each year to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new baby. Employers may integrate this benefit with the earned but unused vacation time.
State of California Employment Development Department

Right To Work

The state of California has not adopted any Right to Work laws. A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the rail or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.