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 Shasta County paid an average of $1,111 a week per job in January–March 2026, +3.3% from a year earlier, not adjusted for inflation. Over the last four quarters, pay per job came to about $58,000 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 $2,009 a week at the federal level, $1,646 at the state level and $1,378 at the local level.
The largest ranked industry, social assistance, with 5,633 jobs, paid $497 a week, 45% of the county private average.
The 5 highest- and 5 lowest-paying ranked industries
Left out of the ranking until checked: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities (power, water and sewer systems) | 776 | 1.3% | $3,337 | 3.00× | $158,000 | −6.6% |
| Hospitals | 2,917 | 5.0% | $1,912 | 1.72× | $105,000 | +4.0% |
| Farm and forestry support (contract crews and services for farms, ranches and forests) | 272 | 0.5% | $1,720 | 1.55× | $77,000 | +2.6% |
| Insurance (carriers and agencies) | 1,543 | 2.6% | $1,665 | 1.50× | $83,000 | +4.9% |
| Wood products manufacturing (sawmills, plywood and other wood products) | 864 | 1.5% | $1,493 | 1.34× | $79,000 | −6.7% |
| Personal and laundry services (salons, dry cleaners, funeral homes) | 513 | 0.9% | $686 | 0.62× | $37,000 | +0.6% |
| Sporting goods, hobby, book and other stores | 835 | 1.4% | $626 | 0.56× | $33,000 | +2.1% |
| Restaurants and bars | 5,055 | 8.6% | $534 | 0.48× | $29,000 | +0.8% |
| Amusement, gambling and recreation (casinos, gyms, golf courses) | 690 | 1.2% | $516 | 0.46× | $26,000 | +9.1% |
| Social assistance (child care, family services, food banks) | 5,633 | 9.6% | $497 | 0.45× | $26,000 | +3.1% |
Pay over the year
Of all 38 ranked industries, average weekly pay rose the most by percentage over the year in couriers and messengers, with 490 jobs at $1,164 a week (+13.5%, not adjusted for inflation). It fell the most by percentage in wood products manufacturing, with 864 jobs at $1,493 a week (−6.7%).
Notes
- Not ranked until checked: heavy and civil engineering construction (roads, bridges, pipelines), with 797 jobs, where average weekly pay changed +57.0% in a year.
- Not ranked until checked: nonmetallic mineral products manufacturing (concrete, glass, stone), with 476 jobs, where average weekly pay changed −37.5% in a year.
- Not ranked until checked: clothing and jewelry stores, with 439 jobs, where average weekly pay changed −25.6% in a year.
- Not ranked until checked: company headquarters and management offices, with 1,216 jobs, where average weekly pay changed −23.8% in a year.
- Not ranked until checked: banking and lending (banks, credit unions, lenders), with 477 jobs, where average weekly pay changed +18.1% in a year.
- In utilities, jobs went from 572 to 776 in a year, so its pay per job averages over a different mix of jobs than a year earlier.
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
A ranked industry whose jobs changed 30% or more in a year gets a note that its pay per job covers a different mix of jobs than a year earlier.Show the formula
Large job changes = 30
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.
