In San Diego County, the average city manager’s salary is $166,719, about $28,000 more than the state average of $139,151 and almost double the U.S. average of $92,472. “There are no guidelines,” says Michele Frisby, public information director for the International City/County Management Association. “Salaries are based entirely on experience, qualifications and the education of the city manager.” Frisby says the city’s governing body is responsible for determining the appropriate salary for its city manager. The salary also depends largely on the city’s budget and size. In tiny Del Mar, with a population of 4,560, the city manager earns $116,340, whereas in San Diego, with a population of 1,294,000, the city manager earns $216,382.

City	Manager	2004 Salary	Population
Carlsbad	Raymond R. Patchett	$185,880	93,000
Chula Vista	David D. Rowlands	$191,924	209,100
Coronado	Mark Ochenduszko	$144,599	26,450
Del Mar	Lauraine Brekke-Esparza	$116,340	4,560
El Cajon	Bill Garrett	$210,000	97,600
Encinitas	Kerry L. Miller	$161,500	62,600
Escondido	Clay Phillips	$161,000	140,500
Imperial Beach	Gary Brown	$125,000	27,800
La Mesa	Sandra L. Kerl	$140,005	56,000
Lemon Grove	Graham Mitchell	$127,625	25,600
National City	Chris Zapata	$165,000	57,000
Oceanside	Steve Jepsen	$165,000	173,300
Poway	James Bowersox	$163,800	50,600
San Diego	Michael Uberuaga (retired)	$208,653	1,294,000
Santee	Keith Till	$149,007	54,000
San Marcos	R.W. Gittings	$176,856	67,400
Solana Beach	Barry Johnson	$123,600	13,450
Vista	Rita Geldert	$161,544	94,000
City population as of January 1, 2004.

— Justina Ly