Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $174,410 | $142,991 | +22% |
| Median hourly wage | $83.85 | $68.75 | +22% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $157,552.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $205,019 | $147,250 | $271,250 | 244 |
| Oakland | $185,178 | $133,000 | $245,000 | 196 |
| Los Angeles | $169,306 | $121,600 | $224,000 | 173 |
| Long Beach | $158,724 | $114,000 | $210,000 | 153 |
| San Diego | $156,079 | $112,100 | $206,500 | 161 |
| Sacramento | $142,852 | $102,600 | $189,000 | 130 |
| Fresno | $125,657 | $90,250 | $166,250 | 105 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in California is $174,410, or about $83.85 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. California is +22% above the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in California typically earn from $147,250 depending on the city and employer.
With 284,390 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $174,410, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 30 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 96% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other at $180,500, Database Architects at $170,160, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $159,100 — 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, software engineers rank 30 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 96% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other | $180,500 | $120 |
| 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 |
| Information Security Analysts | $138,570 | $15,570 |
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.