Software Developers Salary in California
Software Developers in California earn a median $174,410 a year, +28% against the national median of $135,980; they and rank 1st of 50 states by median. Software Developers earn 3.0 times the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Arizona and Nevada range from $128,810 in Nevada to $142,720 in Oregon. California employs 284,390 software developers, 15.6 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.44 means the occupation is more concentrated in California than nationally.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $50.51 | $65.86 | $83.85 | $104.17 | $131.09 | $89.80 | 284,390 | 15.61 | 1.44 |
| Annual | $105,060 | $136,990 | $174,410 | $216,670 | $272,670 | $186,770 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $39.64 | $50.58 | $65.38 | $82.68 | $103.21 | $71.20 | 1,687,890 | – | – |
| Annual | $82,460 | $105,210 | $135,980 | $171,980 | $214,670 | $148,100 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 1st of 50 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.44
- Jobs per 1,000
- 15.61
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
24 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for software developers, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $102.46 | $213,110 | $138,420 | $289,150 | 87,350 | 76.96 | 7.09 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.73 | $186,640 | $128,090 | $273,400 | 69,030 | 29.08 | 2.68 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $78.49 | $163,270 | $95,420 | $223,260 | 20,610 | 13.40 | 1.23 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77.37 | $160,920 | $98,270 | $223,150 | 55,540 | 8.86 | 0.82 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $76.65 | $159,430 | $94,560 | $223,490 | 2,170 | 6.69 | 0.62 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $76.10 | $158,290 | $99,670 | $215,750 | 1,680 | 8.35 | 0.77 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $75.44 | $156,910 | $92,520 | $209,260 | 540 | 5.53 | 0.51 |
| Napa, CA | $73.62 | $153,130 | $98,330 | $225,790 | 130 | 1.63 | 0.15 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $71.46 | $148,630 | $94,080 | $214,360 | 560 | 2.73 | 0.25 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $67.14 | $139,640 | $100,040 | $209,140 | 7,460 | 6.91 | 0.64 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $66.61 | $138,550 | $91,500 | $209,460 | 570 | 1.97 | 0.18 |
| Vallejo, CA | $65.83 | $136,930 | $83,800 | $209,530 | 330 | 2.28 | 0.21 |
| Salinas, CA | $64.98 | $135,160 | $83,870 | $204,020 | 290 | 1.57 | 0.14 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $64.91 | $135,020 | $74,770 | $204,240 | 520 | 4.29 | 0.40 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $64.07 | $133,270 | $85,090 | $205,760 | 4,150 | 2.42 | 0.22 |
| Merced, CA | $63.52 | $132,120 | $79,210 | $201,850 | 80 | 1.07 | 0.10 |
| Yuba City, CA | $63.52 | $132,120 | $75,160 | $196,490 | 80 | 1.61 | 0.15 |
| Chico, CA | $63.15 | $131,360 | $77,750 | $188,330 | 150 | 1.96 | 0.18 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $62.66 | $130,330 | $88,670 | $203,810 | 740 | 2.18 | 0.20 |
| Redding, CA | $62.13 | $129,230 | $77,970 | $173,300 | 160 | 2.22 | 0.20 |
| Fresno, CA | $62.05 | $129,060 | $78,060 | $175,410 | 740 | 1.56 | 0.14 |
| Visalia, CA | $60.66 | $126,170 | $71,140 | $176,080 | 230 | 1.34 | 0.12 |
| El Centro, CA | $60.54 | $125,930 | $67,570 | $171,200 | 70 | 1.01 | 0.09 |
| Modesto, CA | $57.58 | $119,770 | $78,540 | $174,220 | 300 | 1.54 | 0.14 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $66.84 | $139,040 | $79,040 | $250,730 | 140 | 1.38 | 0.13 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $63.04 | $131,110 | $76,890 | $212,260 | 100 | 0.95 | 0.09 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $61.47 | $127,860 | $62,340 | $199,130 | 70 | 1.10 | 0.10 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Software Developers (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.