Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $106,440 | $98,482 | +8% |
| Median hourly wage | $51.17 | $47.35 | +8% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $96,152.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Network Engineer in California is $106,440, or about $51.17 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Network Engineers is $98,482. California is +8% above the national median.
Entry-level network engineers in California typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 26,170 network engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $106,440, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, network engineers rank 177 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 78% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other at $180,500, Software Developers at $174,410, Database Architects at $170,160 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, network engineers rank 177 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 78% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other | $180,500 | $120 |
| Software Developers | $174,410 | $284,390 |
| Database Architects | $170,160 | $6,210 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $159,100 | $8,440 |
| Computer Network Architects | $158,870 | $14,870 |
| Data Scientists | $141,590 | $39,310 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.