Software Development Engineer salary in California
A real-employer view of Software Development Engineer pay, clustered from DOL OFLC certified filings. Variants like Senior, Lead, and II/III titles fold into this cluster — the wage range below reflects all of them.
Software Development Engineer in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 4 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $155,875. 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 | 1 | $145,000 |
| Level II — qualified | 2 | $155,875 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 1 | $212,927 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Software Development Engineer in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | Software Development Engineer | 3 | $153,750 |
| ID.me, Inc. | Software Development Engineer V | 1 | $212,927 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Software Development Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$153,750FremontWage Level IIDecided Apr 23, 2025I-200-25107-873698
- Software Development Engineer V at ID.me, Inc.$212,927San JoseWage Level IVDecided Oct 9, 2024I-200-24276-380761
- Associate Software Development Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$145,000Palo AltoWage Level IDecided Apr 23, 2025I-200-25106-871202
- Software Development Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$158,000Palo AltoWage Level IIDecided Apr 16, 2025I-200-25099-845061
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 Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.