See which occupations donate the most in California. 100 occupations, $884.2M in donations from California.
The occupational breakdown of political donors in California reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within California, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.
| # | Occupation | California Total | National Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO | $114.2M | $842.9M |
| 2 | ATTORNEY | $70.4M | $404.2M |
| 3 | INVESTOR | $48.2M | $245.5M |
| 4 | EXECUTIVE | $36.9M | $282.8M |
| 5 | PRESIDENT | $35.3M | $305.1M |
| 6 | PHYSICIAN | $31.3M | $299.7M |
| 7 | PARTNER | $26.6M | $91.1M |
| 8 | CO-FOUNDER | $24.0M | $40.9M |
| 9 | OWNER | $21.2M | $147.2M |
| 10 | FOUNDER | $20.5M | $119.1M |
| 11 | VENTURE CAPITAL | $19.2M | $28.0M |
| 12 | CONSULTANT | $18.7M | $134.6M |
| 13 | CHAIRMAN | $18.6M | $209.7M |
| 14 | ENGINEER | $18.5M | $69.4M |
| 15 | PHILANTHROPIST | $18.3M | $59.2M |
| 16 | WRITER | $17.0M | $38.7M |
| 17 | HOMEMAKER | $16.7M | $119.4M |
| 18 | REAL ESTATE | $16.5M | $91.1M |
| 19 | VENTURE CAPITALIST | $15.0M | $21.8M |
| 20 | SOFTWARE ENGINEER | $13.5M | $34.6M |
| 21 | LAWYER | $13.1M | $85.7M |
| 22 | MANAGER | $12.1M | $70.3M |
| 23 | PROFESSOR | $11.6M | $64.2M |
| 24 | ENTREPRENEUR | $8.5M | $87.2M |
| 25 | DIRECTOR | $8.3M | $57.8M |
| 26 | CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | $8.1M | $10.6M |
| 27 | PRODUCER | $7.9M | $13.4M |
| 28 | FINANCE | $7.7M | $55.7M |
| 29 | MEMBER | $7.4M | $13.4M |
| 30 | SCIENTIST | $7.0M | $17.7M |
| 31 | BUSINESS OWNER | $7.0M | $38.3M |
| 32 | TEACHER | $6.3M | $28.4M |
| 33 | MANAGING DIRECTOR | $6.2M | $133.8M |
| 34 | REAL ESTATE INVESTOR | $5.8M | $13.8M |
| 35 | SELF EMPLOYED | $5.1M | $24.5M |
| 36 | FILMMAKER | $5.0M | $9.2M |
| 37 | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $4.9M | $74.4M |
| 38 | PRINCIPAL | $4.7M | $33.9M |
| 39 | MANAGING PARTNER | $4.6M | $27.9M |
| 40 | FARMER | $4.6M | $31.0M |
| 41 | REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER | $4.6M | $20.7M |
| 42 | ARTIST | $4.5M | $25.5M |
| 43 | ACTRESS | $4.4M | $4.9M |
| 44 | ARCHITECT | $4.0M | $16.2M |
| 45 | SALES | $4.0M | $36.5M |
| 46 | VICE PRESIDENT | $3.3M | $26.8M |
| 47 | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $3.3M | $15.1M |
| 48 | ACTOR | $3.2M | $6.5M |
| 49 | CPA | $3.2M | $14.8M |
| 50 | MARKETING | $3.2M | $13.0M |
| 51 | INVESTMENT MANAGER | $3.1M | $19.5M |
| 52 | MUSICIAN | $3.1M | $7.8M |
| 53 | INVESTMENTS | $3.0M | $192.4M |
| 54 | REALTOR | $3.0M | $16.6M |
| 55 | PSYCHOLOGIST | $2.8M | $15.3M |
| 56 | DESIGNER | $2.8M | $11.0M |
| 57 | ACCOUNTANT | $2.7M | $14.2M |
| 58 | REAL ESTATE BROKER | $2.7M | $19.8M |
| 59 | CFO | $2.7M | $13.9M |
| 60 | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | $2.7M | $13.5M |
| 61 | SENIOR ADVISOR | $2.6M | $9.4M |
| 62 | NOT-EMPLOYED | $2.6M | $8.1M |
| 63 | EDUCATOR | $2.4M | $10.0M |
| 64 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR | $2.3M | $13.8M |
| 65 | EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN | $2.2M | $40.9M |
| 66 | RESEARCHER | $2.2M | $11.7M |
| 67 | BUSINESSMAN | $2.2M | $8.9M |
| 68 | TREASURER | $2.1M | $4.0M |
| 69 | SELF | $2.1M | $11.9M |
| 70 | DOCTOR | $2.1M | $12.1M |
| 71 | AUTHOR | $2.0M | $12.6M |
| 72 | CTO | $2.0M | $4.3M |
| 73 | UNEMPLOYED | $1.9M | $5.4M |
| 74 | BOARD MEMBER | $1.9M | $8.4M |
| 75 | PROPERTY MANAGER | $1.8M | $4.5M |
| 76 | DEVELOPER | $1.8M | $12.9M |
| 77 | PROGRAMMER | $1.8M | $6.0M |
| 78 | WRITER/PRODUCER | $1.8M | $1.9M |
| 79 | FILM PRODUCER | $1.8M | $3.2M |
| 80 | CHAIRMAN & CEO | $1.7M | $39.1M |
| 81 | PSYCHOTHERAPIST | $1.7M | $6.6M |
| 82 | CONTRACTOR | $1.7M | $14.0M |
| 83 | ADVISOR | $1.7M | $9.1M |
| 84 | COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER | $1.7M | $2.3M |
| 85 | PRESIDENT & CEO | $1.6M | $20.9M |
| 86 | BANKER | $1.6M | $21.8M |
| 87 | GENERAL PARTNER | $1.6M | $2.7M |
| 88 | INSURANCE BROKER | $1.5M | $8.0M |
| 89 | VICE CHAIRMAN | $1.5M | $6.7M |
| 90 | CIO | $1.5M | $5.7M |
| 91 | BUSINESS | $1.5M | $16.7M |
| 92 | PRODUCT MANAGER | $1.5M | $3.9M |
| 93 | SOFTWARE EXECUTIVE | $1.5M | $2.2M |
| 94 | PORTFOLIO MANAGER | $1.5M | $7.8M |
| 95 | PRIVATE INVESTOR | $1.4M | $9.0M |
| 96 | ADMINISTRATOR | $1.4M | $8.8M |
| 97 | PROJECT MANAGER | $1.4M | $7.2M |
| 98 | SOFTWARE DEVELOPER | $1.3M | $6.5M |
| 99 | PARTNERS | $1.3M | $1.5M |
| 100 | REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT | $1.3M | $5.1M |
The top political donors by occupation in California typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, California residents have contributed $884.2M to federal campaigns.
Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the California and National Total columns to spot these differences.
Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.