Insights / Hardest metros by occupation / California
10 metros where Phlebotomists are hardest to fill
San Francisco and San Diego phlebotomists are paid almost the same. The benches are not.
A recruiter took the top two scores and offered both metros the San Francisco wage.
San Francisco scores 8.3 at $58,900, 1.30 times the national median, with a share of 0.64, thinner than a typical metro.
San Diego scores 8.1 at $58,170, 1.29 times the country, with a share of 0.92, close to a typical metro.
Same paycheck shape.
Different depth of bench.
Washington, DC scores 7.9 at $49,030, only 1.08 times the country, share 0.66.
Atlanta scores 7.6 at $49,370 with a share of 1.05.
December 2025 put California's all-industry openings rate at 3.6, under a U.S. rate of 4.0.
The score is not a statewide boom.
Each metro
1San Francisco, CA
- Score
- 8.3
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.64
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.595
- Metro median
- $58,900
- Pay ratio
- 1.30
2San Diego, CA
- Score
- 8.1
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.92
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.848
- Metro median
- $58,170
- Pay ratio
- 1.29
3Washington, DC
- Score
- 7.9
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.66
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.607
- Metro median
- $49,030
- Pay ratio
- 1.08
4Sacramento, CA
- Score
- 7.9
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.79
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.729
- Metro median
- $52,560
- Pay ratio
- 1.16
5Los Angeles, CA
- Score
- 7.9
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.82
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.753
- Metro median
- $52,940
- Pay ratio
- 1.17
6Boston, MA
- Score
- 7.8
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.68
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.628
- Metro median
- $50,420
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
7New York, NY
- Score
- 7.8
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.84
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.778
- Metro median
- $49,980
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
8Riverside, CA
- Score
- 7.7
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.88
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.816
- Metro median
- $51,490
- Pay ratio
- 1.14
9Portland, OR
- Score
- 7.7
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.85
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.785
- Metro median
- $51,680
- Pay ratio
- 1.14
10Atlanta, GA
- Score
- 7.6
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 1.05
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.967
- Metro median
- $49,370
- Pay ratio
- 1.09
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Band | Location quotient | Jobs per 1,000 | Metro median | Pay ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 8.3 | Hard | 0.64 | 0.595 | $58,900 | 1.30 |
| 2 | San Diego, CA | 8.1 | Hard | 0.92 | 0.848 | $58,170 | 1.29 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | 7.9 | Hard | 0.66 | 0.607 | $49,030 | 1.08 |
| 4 | Sacramento, CA | 7.9 | Hard | 0.79 | 0.729 | $52,560 | 1.16 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | 7.9 | Hard | 0.82 | 0.753 | $52,940 | 1.17 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | 7.8 | Hard | 0.68 | 0.628 | $50,420 | 1.11 |
| 7 | New York, NY | 7.8 | Hard | 0.84 | 0.778 | $49,980 | 1.11 |
| 8 | Riverside, CA | 7.7 | Hard | 0.88 | 0.816 | $51,490 | 1.14 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | 7.7 | Hard | 0.85 | 0.785 | $51,680 | 1.14 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | 7.6 | Hard | 1.05 | 0.967 | $49,370 | 1.09 |
Takeaways
- Sacramento scores 7.9 at $52,560, share 0.79. Los Angeles scores 7.9 at $52,940, share 0.82.
- Boston scores 7.8 at $50,420, share 0.68. New York scores 7.8 at $49,980, share 0.84.
- Riverside and Portland both score 7.7, at $51,490 and $51,680.
- Metros under 500 phlebotomists are left off. Absence is not a zero.
For recruiters
- In San Francisco, say the bench is thin and the wage is already $58,900.
- Do not export that wage to Atlanta, where the share is ordinary and the median is not in the same place.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
Rows are the scored metro pages for Phlebotomists (31-9097) with the highest public market difficulty score, up to 10. Metros under 500 workers are not scored. A metro page is scored only when OEWS employment for that occupation is at least 500. Below that, the page stays up and is left off this ranking. Postsecondary teaching occupations and medical scientists are left off even when they are scored. Nominal weights, before a missing shortage match is rescaled, are projected openings divided by 2025 employment 18%, projected growth 22%, the metro median divided by the U.S. median 40%, how common the occupation is locally compared with the country 8% (the location-quotient column; a lower figure means a thinner local bench), a matching HRSA shortage designation 8%, and statewide all-industry JOLTS for December 2025 4%. Bands are Standard under 4, Elevated from 4 up to 7, and Hard at 7 and above. The California total-nonfarm job openings rate for December 2025 is 3.6. The U.S. rate is 4.0. Both are all-industry JOLTS rates. The article is tagged to California because that state holds the leading metro, so the publishing calendar does not stack it with another California article the same day. Rounded figures in the prose: $58,900 is stated as about $58.9K. a comparison of 1.30 is stated as 30 percent. $45,230 is stated as about $45.2K. Rounded figures in the prose: $58,170 is stated as about $58.2K. a comparison of 1.11 is stated as 11 percent. $49,980 is stated as about $50.0K.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2025
- BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, total nonfarm · December 2025
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