5 collection sites across 4 banks, $834–$2,400/month.
In California: 5 walk-in bank sites. Known-donor agencies work nationwide — including California — so a directed match is an option even where no bank is within driving distance.
California has more sperm bank collection sites than any other state — five, spread across Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego. It's the only state where you can weigh the highest-paying bank in the country (California Cryobank, $2,400/month) against a donor-owned nonprofit (The Sperm Bank of California) without ever leaving the state.
How much you make in California depends entirely on which bank you can reach. California Cryobank — in Los Angeles and Los Altos — advertises the highest ceiling in the country: up to $2,400/month, averaging about $200 per approved donation, paid by check every other week. Fairfax in Pasadena runs roughly $667–1k/month, Seattle Sperm Bank in La Jolla $1,500/month with no height requirement, and the donor-owned nonprofit Sperm Bank of California in Berkeley $950–1,500/month. Every figure is an advertised ceiling that assumes near-perfect attendance — real take-home is lower, and part of each payment is held until your samples clear the FDA's six-month quarantine.
Los Angeles metro
California Cryobank ($2,400/mo), Fairfax Pasadena ($667–1k/mo)
San Francisco Bay Area
Sperm Bank of CA Berkeley ($950–1,500/mo), CCB Los Altos ($2,400/mo)
San Diego
Seattle Sperm Bank La Jolla ($1,500/mo)
If you're in Sacramento, the nearest sites are Berkeley (~75 mi) and Los Altos (~100 mi).
A separate route from the walk-in banks above: directed / known-donor agencies match you to specific intended parents and work in all 50 states, including California. The family pays a per-cycle fee ($5k–$100k), usually trait-priced and released from escrow after FDA clearance — not a monthly wage, so it doesn't sort against bank pay.
“MSM” = whether the agency welcomes gay/bisexual donors. Directed donation is exempt from the FDA anonymous-bank deferral, but only Seed Scout says so on its own pages — treat “Ask agency” as unconfirmed, not a no.
Bank or agency — how to choose
Legal note
California adopted the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) 2017, clarifying that sperm donors through a licensed bank have no parental rights or obligations.
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