This is part of Sidekick’s new civic data series, which reports the numbers that shape life in your county. The figures come straight from state and federal agencies, and we report them without adding opinion or narrative. Each article explains how the numbers were calculated, so you can check them yourself.
Private employers in Humboldt County paid an average of $1,065 a week per job in January–March 2026, +3.9% from a year earlier, not adjusted for inflation. Over the last four quarters, pay per job came to about $55,000 a year. The private average was $2,006 a week in California, +3.0% from a year earlier, and $1,681 nationally, +4.0%. Government employers paid $1,773 a week at the federal level, $1,283 at the state level and $1,107 at the local level.
The largest ranked industry, social assistance, with 5,758 jobs, paid $502 a week, 47% of the county private average.
The 5 highest- and 5 lowest-paying ranked industries
Left out of the ranking until checked: 2 private industries above the size floor whose weekly pay moved 15% or more in a year; the notes name them. The 5 highest- and 5 lowest-paying of the ranked private industries with at least 200 jobs this quarter; the ones between are not shown:
| Industry | Jobs | Share of private jobs | Weekly pay | × county average | Yearly, last 4 quarters | Pay change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company headquarters and management offices | 396 | 1.1% | $1,796 | 1.69× | $85,000 | +7.4% |
| Forestry and logging (timber tracts and logging crews) | 308 | 0.8% | $1,664 | 1.56× | $84,000 | −0.5% |
| Banking and lending (banks, credit unions, lenders) | 707 | 1.9% | $1,605 | 1.51× | $76,000 | +4.0% |
| Ambulatory health care (doctors' offices, clinics, home health) | 2,929 | 7.9% | $1,566 | 1.47× | $80,000 | +1.4% |
| Insurance (carriers and agencies) | 268 | 0.7% | $1,524 | 1.43× | $84,000 | −7.8% |
| Gas stations and fuel dealers | 406 | 1.1% | $627 | 0.59× | $36,000 | −10.0% |
| Restaurants and bars | 3,727 | 10.0% | $535 | 0.50× | $29,000 | +3.9% |
| Accommodation (hotels, motels, campgrounds) | 623 | 1.7% | $515 | 0.48× | $30,000 | −9.5% |
| Social assistance (child care, family services, food banks) | 5,758 | 15.4% | $502 | 0.47× | $26,000 | +5.2% |
| Amusement, gambling and recreation (casinos, gyms, golf courses) | 419 | 1.1% | $398 | 0.37× | $20,000 | +5.9% |
Pay over the year
Of all 32 ranked industries, average weekly pay rose the most by percentage over the year in company headquarters and management offices, with 396 jobs at $1,796 a week (+7.4%, not adjusted for inflation). It fell the most by percentage in educational services, with 250 jobs at $662 a week (−13.4%).
Notes
- Not ranked until checked: sporting goods, hobby, book and other stores, with 666 jobs, where average weekly pay changed +22.2% in a year.
- Not ranked until checked: heavy and civil engineering construction (roads, bridges, pipelines), with 509 jobs, where average weekly pay changed +18.4% in a year.
How we calculated this
Changes compare a period with the same period a year earlier.Show the formula
change = value(this period) − value(same period last year); % change = change ÷ value(same period last year) × 100
An industry whose weekly pay moves 15% or more in a year is left out of rankings until checked; one whose pay moves 50% or more while its jobs move 30% or more is treated as a possible reclassification.Show the formula
Review when |weekly pay % change| ≥ 15. Possible reclassification when |weekly pay % change| ≥ 50 and |jobs % change| ≥ 30.
County figures are shown next to California and the United States for the same period.Show the formula
the same measure for California and the United States in the same period; where a change is shown for them, the same change formula
Industries are ranked by pay only if they had at least 200 jobs in the quarter shown.Show the formula
Size floor for pay rankings = 200
These figures cover payroll jobs reported to the state's unemployment insurance program. Self-employed workers, most religious organizations and uniformed military are not included. The state does not publish figures that would identify an employer, so some industries are missing from the tables.
Weekly pay is a quarter's total payroll divided by employment and by 13 weeks, so it reflects hours worked and the mix of jobs as well as pay rates.
Source: California EDD, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, data released 2026-10-01.
