Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · CBSA 42100
Software Engineer Salary in Santa Cruz
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Santa Cruz earn a median of $138,740 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $108,820–$170,770; the top 10% earn $202,940. That is 4% above the national median and 19% below the California median. BLS reports 580 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$138,740
+4% vs national
Top 10% earn
$202,940
90th percentile
Employed in metro
580
Reliability High (4.9% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Santa Cruz vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $95,540 | +20% |
| 25th percentile | $108,820 | +6% |
| Median50th percentile | $138,740 | +4% |
| 75th percentile | $170,770 | +1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $202,940 | -4% |
| Meanaverage | $147,430 | +2% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Santa Cruz
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
0.55
Jobs per 1,000
5.89
Metro rank (pay)
#19 of 381
All engineering roles
$128,791
At a location quotient of 0.55, this occupation is thinner on the ground in Santa Cruz than nationally. Pay can still be competitive, but the local employer pool is smaller.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →