Substitute Teachers, Short-Term pay in California

In California, the median pay for substitute teachers, short-term is $28.99 an hour ($60,300 a year). About 115,660 people work in this job there.

$28.99Median hourly pay

$49,210–$68,280Middle half of workers, yearly

115,660People in this job in California

That is 45% higher than the U.S. median ($41,670). California ranks 2nd of 50 states and territories for this job’s median pay.

Pay range for substitute teachers, short-term in California

Earns more than	Hourly	Yearly
10% of workers	$18.77	$39,040
25% of workers	$23.66	$49,210
Half of workers (median)	$28.99	$60,300
75% of workers	$32.83	$68,280
90% of workers	$37.82	$78,670

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term pay in California metro areas

Metro area	Median yearly pay	People in this job
Napa	$76,520	300
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$72,330	3,800
Bakersfield-Delano	$66,480	5,390
Vallejo	$66,000	700
Stockton-Lodi	$65,190	3,060
Salinas	$63,970	1,220
Modesto	$63,440	1,990
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$62,310	610
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$62,260	2,100
Yuba City	$61,710	370
Hanford-Corcoran	$61,590	210
Santa Rosa-Petaluma	$61,290	1,430
Chico	$61,030	450
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont	$60,790	10,570
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$60,780	15,430
Merced	$60,770	1,450
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$59,900	1,070
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad	$59,860	9,480
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom	$59,780	6,510
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles	$58,620	680
Redding	$57,460	200
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$57,210	35,740
Visalia	$56,040	1,880
Fresno	$54,890	8,670
El Centro	$54,420	690

California unemployment rate: 5.1% (August 2026), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Education, experience and outlook for substitute teachers, short-term

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
Job outlook: +2% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 65,000 openings a year (BLS)

Related jobs in California

Job	Median yearly pay
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$99,650
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$101,370
Tutors	$45,100
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$98,950
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	$101,060
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$82,550
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors	$102,030
Self-Enrichment Teachers	$49,570

Other job titles for this job

Substitute Preschool TeacherBuilding SubBuilding Sub TeacherCertified Sub TeacherChild Development Sub TeacherClassroom Sub TeacherElementary Sub TeacherEnglish Sub TeacherEsl SubHS Sub TeacherK-12 Sub TeacherK-12 Substitute Teacher

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates. Figures are for wage and salary workers and do not include the self-employed. The median is the middle wage: half earn more, half earn less. Other job titles: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.