One of the things about CA is that a lot of higher earners don’t really make a “wage.” Stock grants and options have made middle managers millionaires several times over. Their net worth is high, but their “wages” are moderate.
25 years ago when I worked at a bank, my salary is about “mid point” of my peers. I doubled that with options and stock grants—most of which I went yers without cashing out.
Statistics are fun to play with. But without significant context they are often intentionally misleading.
Unfortunately I had no stock options—just wages.
The numbers in CA just did not work for me.