Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · CBSA 31080
Software Engineer Salary in Los Angeles
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Los Angeles earn a median of $155,330 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $122,940–$174,320; the top 10% earn $210,600. That is 17% above the national median and 9% below the California median. BLS reports 54,650 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$155,330
+17% vs national
Top 10% earn
$210,600
90th percentile
Employed in metro
54,650
Reliability High (4% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Los Angeles vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $93,670 | +17% |
| 25th percentile | $122,940 | +19% |
| Median50th percentile | $155,330 | +17% |
| 75th percentile | $174,320 | +3% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $210,600 | — |
| Meanaverage | $157,390 | +9% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Los Angeles
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
0.82
Jobs per 1,000
8.81
Metro rank (pay)
#9 of 381
All engineering roles
$135,996
Los Angeles employs software engineers at close to the national rate (location quotient 0.82).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Los Angeles?
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Where does Los Angeles rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →