Quick answer: The Santa Cruz metro employs about 800 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through target employers on the experience and credential mix they weight.
Compare retail management programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Retail management is not licensed and has no required certification. Employers typically promote on floor experience, and the degree’s value is the finance, operations and merchandising coursework that supports moving beyond a single store.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with target employers on the experience and credential mix they weight.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 3 schools within 125 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 3 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers in the Santa Cruz area earn a median $52,240 per year, above the national median of $48,520 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Santa Cruz metro | California | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $52,240 | $54,870 | $48,520 |
| 10th percentile | $38,480 | $38,860 | $33,120 |
| 25th percentile | $44,030 | $44,920 | $38,590 |
| 75th percentile | $61,910 | $63,160 | $62,130 |
| 90th percentile | $74,720 | $77,590 | $77,080 |
| Employment | 800 | 109,180 | 1,121,800 |
| Location quotient | 1.13 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area.
The Santa Cruz median of $52,240 is above the national median of $48,520, and below the California statewide median of $54,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.13 means first-line supervisors of retail sales workers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Retail supervision exists everywhere retail does, so this market tracks population and consumer spending rather than any single industry.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $51,390 | 36,580 |
| San Francisco | $58,950 | 12,120 |
| Riverside | $50,460 | 11,800 |
| San Diego | $56,300 | 9,780 |
| Sacramento | $52,590 | 6,270 |
| San Jose | $61,710 | 4,810 |
| Fresno | $50,790 | 2,890 |
| Oxnard | $52,570 | 2,500 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area is $52,240, above the national median of $48,520 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area employs about 800 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Retail management is not licensed and has no required certification. Employers typically promote on floor experience, and the degree's value is the finance, operations and merchandising coursework that supports moving beyond a single store. Confirm current requirements with target employers on the experience and credential mix they weight.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies target employers on the experience and credential mix they weight.
The Santa Cruz metro median is $52,240 against a statewide median of $54,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
