Start with the answer
Phlebotomists pay in California and Georgia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Phlebotomists is $56,040 per year in California. It is $45,840 per year in Georgia. California is 22.3% above Georgia on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 31-9097 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 13,520 wage and salary jobs in California and 5,280 in Georgia. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
