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.
Distribution not available
The Bureau of Labor Statistics suppresses wage percentiles for this occupation and state when the surveyed cell has too few employers to publish without revealing individual firm pay. National figures and adjacent states below remain a useful reference.
Software Developers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 1,000 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $188,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Software Engineer | 80 | $220,512 |
| Google LLC | Software Engineer | 67 | $222,000 |
| Apple Inc. | Software Engineering Applications | 58 | $200,619 |
| NVIDIA Corporation | Engineer Senior Systems Software | 35 | $204,134 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | Software Development Engineer II | 31 | $159,940 |
| Salesforce, Inc. | Software Engineering LMTS | 24 | $246,085 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Software Engineering | 23 | $199,500 |
| LinkedIn Corporation | Staff Software Engineer | 18 | $213,009 |
| Snowflake Inc. | Senior Software Engineer | 17 | $200,000 |
| Amazon Web Services, Inc. | Enterprise Act Engineer III | 14 | $175,850 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Software Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc$232,000BurlingameDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500679
- Software Engineer at Zoox, Inc.$214,000Foster CityDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-503440
- Software Development Engineer at Adobe Inc.$274,000San JoseDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-503834
- Software Engineer at NVIDIA Corporation$187,574Santa ClaraDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-503701
- Software Engineering Applications at Apple Inc.$181,532SunnyvaleDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500798
- Software Engineer at Waymo LLC$200,000Mountain ViewDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502798
- Software Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc$185,644Menlo ParkDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500743
- Architect Senior at NVIDIA Corporation$157,857Santa ClaraDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502185
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.
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 662 certified offers. The most common variant is Software Engineer at a median of $200,000.
| Specialty | Top employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | Meta Platforms, Inc | 416 | $200,000 |
| Software Development Engineer | Amazon.com Services LLC | 54 | $184,815 |
| Member of Technical Staff | Anthropic, PBC | 28 | $210,000 |
| Senior Staff Engineer | Equinix, Inc. | 27 | $187,574 |
| Software Engineering | Microsoft Corporation | 27 | $197,660 |
| Manager | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 22 | $182,789 |
| Software Developer | Oracle America, Inc. | 22 | $149,365 |
| Software Engineering Applications | Apple Inc. | 16 | $205,482 |
| Engineer Senior Systems Software | NVIDIA Corporation | 14 | $204,134 |
| Software Development Engineering | Apple Inc. | 14 | $203,665 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | SNAP INC. | 14 | $195,673 |
| Data Engineer | Netflix, Inc. | 8 | $198,982 |
Specialties with 10 or more filings link to a dedicated breakdown.
Software Developers in California, by industry
Median offered wage across 998 certified filings, grouped by NAICS industry sector. Technology and software leads with a median of $194,350.
| Industry | Largest employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology and software | Meta Platforms, Inc | 618 | $194,350 |
| Manufacturing | Apple Inc. | 169 | $187,574 |
| Professional services | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 70 | $184,558 |
| Retail and wholesale | Amazon.com Services LLC | 66 | $167,193 |
| Finance and insurance | PayPal, Inc. | 65 | $188,000 |
| Nonprofit and civic | Open Avenues Foundation | 4 | $161,637 |
| Education | AIVY Inc. | 2 | $123,406 |
| Healthcare | ELLIPSIS HEALTH, INC. | 2 | $206,876 |
| Media and entertainment | Live Nation Worldwide, Inc. | 1 | $170,000 |
| Real estate | Move Sales, Inc | 1 | $210,123 |
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 2 BLS OES releases. Real values are CPI-adjusted to 2024 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$208,270
- San Francisco$174,910
- San Diego$159,240
- Los Angeles$155,330
- Sacramento$141,030
- Riverside$136,760
Compare Software Developers pay across nearby states
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 $170,910.
- How does California compare to the national median for Software Developers?
- The California median is +23.4% versus the BLS national figure of $138,520.
- 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.