California · SOC 15-1252
Software Engineer Salary in California
VerifiedPublished wages for software engineers in California, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Software Engineers in California earn a median of $170,910 per year ($185,750 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $134,820–$212,280; the top 10% earn at least $239,200. That is 28% above the national median of $133,080, ranking California #1 of 51 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$170,910
+28% vs national
Top 10% earn
≥$239,200
BLS topcodes at this level
Employed in state
292,630
Reliability High (1.7% RSE)
Software Engineer pay distribution — California vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $103,950 | +30% |
| 25th percentile | $134,820 | +31% |
| Median50th percentile | $170,910 | +28% |
| 75th percentile | $212,280 | +26% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | ≥$239,200 | +13% |
| Meanaverage | $185,750 | +28% |
Where software engineers earn most in California
Metro areas in California where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 15-1252. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JoseSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $208,270 | ≥$239,200 | 90,280 |
| San FranciscoSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $174,910 | ≥$239,200 | 76,900 |
| Santa MariaSanta Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $163,020 | $213,440 | 2,030 |
| San DiegoSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $159,240 | $212,100 | 21,080 |
| Los AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $155,330 | $210,600 | 54,650 |
| Yuba CityYuba City, CA | $145,550 | $195,100 | 70 |
| Santa RosaSanta Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $141,140 | $203,830 | 630 |
| SacramentoSacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $141,030 | $210,460 | 7,410 |
| Santa CruzSanta Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $138,740 | $202,940 | 580 |
| OxnardOxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $138,480 | ≥$239,200 | 2,420 |
| RiversideRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $136,760 | $200,990 | 4,340 |
| VallejoVallejo, CA | $134,570 | $201,670 | 320 |
| SalinasSalinas, CA | $134,300 | $209,760 | 280 |
| MercedMerced, CA | $133,370 | $196,560 | 60 |
| BakersfieldBakersfield-Delano, CA | $132,590 | $200,980 | 740 |
| San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $132,010 | $200,360 | 480 |
| NapaNapa, CA | $131,050 | $198,210 | 120 |
| StocktonStockton-Lodi, CA | $128,440 | $193,920 | 580 |
| ChicoChico, CA | $126,490 | $190,460 | 150 |
| FresnoFresno, CA | $126,290 | $176,000 | 650 |
| VisaliaVisalia, CA | $124,410 | $172,460 | 190 |
| ReddingRedding, CA | $123,320 | $165,350 | 170 |
| ModestoModesto, CA | $116,180 | $166,070 | 280 |
California engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.51
Jobs per 1,000
16.20
State rank (pay)
#1 of 51
All engineering roles
$154,208
A location quotient of 1.51 means California employs software engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), California (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →