Software Developers in California. BLS OES + DOL OFLC + reader-reported submissions. How this is built →
What the numbers say
The median wage for Software Developers in California was $170,910 in 2024, about 23% above the US median of $138,520. The mean came in higher at $185,750, which tells us a group of senior and staff-level developers is pulling the average well above the midpoint.
The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile runs from $134,820 to $212,280, a $77,460 range. That is wide even by tech-occupation standards. It reflects how much job title, specialization, and years of experience move the number here. An early-career developer and a principal engineer in California are doing very different things at very different pay grades, and the data captures both.
California's cost-of-living index sits at 114.8, about 15% above the national baseline. After adjusting for that, the $32,390 nominal premium over the US median narrows to roughly $14,100 in real purchasing terms. The state still leads on wages in absolute and adjusted terms, but the gap is smaller than the headline figure suggests.
On the outlook side, BLS projects Software Developer employment to grow 15.8% nationally between 2024 and 2034, a pace the agency classifies as much faster than average. California accounts for 292,630 of the jobs in this occupation, the largest single-state share in the country by a wide margin. That concentration tends to keep wages elevated, though it also means the state's pay figures are sensitive to hiring cycles in a handful of large tech employers.
Salary distribution
Where California software developers fall on the wage curve.
Shaded band = interquartile range (where most full-time workers fall)
The middle 50% of workers earn between $136,990 and $216,670, with a median of $174,410.
Software Developers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 2,000 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $192,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 172 | $155,000 |
| Level II — qualified | 639 | $196,000 |
| Level III — experienced | 220 | $223,125 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 254 | $240,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Software Developers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC | Software Engineer | 553 | $200,000 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Software Engineer | 226 | $214,032 |
| Apple Inc. | Software Engineering Applications | 104 | $181,100 |
| NVIDIA Corporation | Engineer Senior Systems Software | 43 | $205,449 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Software Engineering | 31 | $215,820 |
| Salesforce, Inc. | Software Engineering MTS | 29 | $193,704 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | Software Development Engineer II | 27 | $174,960 |
| Uber Technologies, Inc. | Software Engineer | 26 | $214,100 |
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. | Principal, Software Engineer | 26 | $150,080 |
| Adobe Inc. | Software Development Engineer | 22 | $207,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER at WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.$150,080SUNNYVALEDecided —I-200-26084-728659
- Software Engineer at Google LLC$236,000Mountain ViewDecided —I-200-26085-730843
- Software Development Engineer II at Amazon.com Services LLC$174,960SunnyvaleDecided —I-200-26084-728193
- SENIOR DATA ENGINEER at SIRIUS XM RADIO LLC$207,000SAN RAMONDecided —I-200-26084-728177
- Software Engineer at Google LLC$200,000Mountain ViewWage Level IIDecided —I-200-26084-728277
- Principal Site Reliability Engineer at Zscaler, Inc.$188,851San JoseDecided —I-200-26084-727956
- Software Engineer at Google LLC$164,000Mountain ViewDecided —I-200-26084-728096
- GENERATIVE AI ARCHITECT at Nexturn Inc$200,000FREMONTWage Level IIIDecided —I-203-26084-729711
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.
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Software Developers pay by experience level in California
Each band reflects DOL Wage Levels I-IV mapped onto a four-step ladder. Click a level to see the disclosed-wage range for that segment.
Software Developers specialties in California
Real specialty titles employers file for, clustered from 1,522 certified offers. The most common variant is Software Engineer at a median of $198,000.
| Specialty | Top employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | Google LLC | 1,145 | $198,000 |
| Software Development Engineer | Amazon.com Services LLC | 101 | $179,217 |
| Senior Engineer | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | 63 | $174,000 |
| Software Developer | IBM Corporation | 38 | $140,000 |
| Software Engineering | Microsoft Corporation | 33 | $220,000 |
| Engineer Senior Systems Software | NVIDIA Corporation | 26 | $205,449 |
| Member of Technical Staff | Anthropic, PBC | 25 | $219,960 |
| Software Engineering Applications | Apple Inc. | 22 | $181,100 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | Meta Platforms, Inc | 21 | $193,978 |
| Manager | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 17 | $190,300 |
| Production Engineer | Meta Platforms, Inc | 16 | $204,575 |
| Software Engineering Systems | Apple Inc. | 15 | $171,600 |
Specialties with 10 or more filings link to a dedicated breakdown.
Software Developers in California, by industry
Median offered wage across 1,994 certified filings, grouped by NAICS industry sector. Technology and software leads with a median of $196,000.
| Industry | Largest employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology and software | Google LLC | 1,458 | $196,000 |
| Manufacturing | Apple Inc. | 277 | $181,100 |
| Retail and wholesale | Amazon.com Services LLC | 91 | $168,991 |
| Professional services | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 86 | $188,000 |
| Finance and insurance | PayPal, Inc. | 61 | $201,611 |
| Healthcare | Unika Health Inc | 8 | $152,500 |
| Media and entertainment | SIRIUS XM RADIO LLC | 6 | $186,279 |
| Education | Open Nature, Inc. | 4 | $191,945 |
| Transportation and logistics | The UPS Store, Inc. | 2 | $178,200 |
| Energy and utilities | California Independent System Operator Corporation | 1 | $180,958 |
Sectors with at least 25 filings link to a dedicated page with full distribution and sample employer breakdown.
Wage trend
Median annual wage in California over the past 3 BLS OES releases. Real values are CPI-adjusted to 2025 dollars.
Typical entry
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Top skills (O*NET)
Common tasks (O*NET)
10-year outlook
Growth 2024 → 2034
+15.8%
Projected annual openings
—
BLS outlook
Growing much faster than average
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034 cycle.
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Explore coursesTop metros in California
Metro-level salary data for software developers in major California metropolitan areas.
- San Jose$213,110
- San Francisco$186,640
- San Diego$163,270
- Los Angeles$160,920
- Sacramento$139,640
- Riverside$133,270
Compare Software Developers pay across nearby states
Considering a move? Compare California with another state
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median salary for Software Developers in California?
- According to BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, the median annual wage for Software Developers in California is $174,410.
- How does California compare to the national median for Software Developers?
- The California median is +22.0% versus the BLS national figure of $142,947.
- What is the salary range for Software Developers in California?
- BLS reports the 10th-percentile annual wage at $105,060 and the 90th-percentile at $272,670, which captures most full-time workers in the role.
- Is Software Developers a growing field?
- BLS Employment Projections show employment growing by 15.8% over the projection cycle. See the 10-year outlook section above for details.
- What education is required for Software Developers?
- BLS lists the typical entry-level education as Bachelor's degree. Many employers also weigh prior experience and credentials.
Information on this page is for general educational purposes only. It is not career, financial, or tax advice. Wage data reflects BLS estimates for the reference year shown and may not match individual offers, employer-specific ranges, or current market conditions. Confirm with a licensed professional before making career or compensation decisions.