Hiring a school administrator in Modesto, CA

Do Modesto residents in management work earn more than employers in the Modesto, CA area pay?

Modesto residents working in management occupations earn a median of $88,607 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $126,110 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Modesto, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 30%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole management group, not this one role. In the Modesto, CA area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from property, real estate, and community association managers at $61,990 to chief executives at $200,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with education administrators, kindergarten through secondary at $160,240 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Modesto residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Modesto?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 11-9032.

That matters here, because 20.3% of Modesto adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a thin local pool for a degree-requiring role, so expect to recruit across the metro rather than inside the city. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Modesto aged 25 and over.

The average Modesto commute runs 29.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 7.3% of Modesto workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Modesto.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Stanislaus County, management of companies and enterprises employs 1,438 and turns over 4.6% a quarter, with 94 hires against 150 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $6,835 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about education administrators, kindergarten through secondary. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $160,240 median in the Modesto, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $32,048 to $48,072 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a school administrator in Modesto

What does it cost to hire a school administrator in Modesto?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $160,240 median wage in the Modesto, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $32,048 to $48,072 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a school administrator in Modesto look like?

Employers in the Modesto, CA area pay education administrators, kindergarten through secondary a median of $160,240, with the middle half of the market between $141,990 and $163,560 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $141,990 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Modesto residents in management work earn more than employers in the Modesto, CA area pay?

Modesto residents working in management occupations earn a median of $88,607 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $126,110 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Modesto, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 30%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Modesto?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 20.3% of Modesto adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a thin local pool, so expect the search to run across the metro rather than inside the city.

Related

• Hiring Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Modesto
• Every California city we cover

Modesto is the 20th largest of 21 California cities in this dataset.