What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Design Developer?

We've identified 10 cities in California where Design Developer jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Cupertino (25.0% above average), followed by Berkeley and Mountain View. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Cupertino $159,582 $13,298 $3,068 $76.72 Berkeley $156,071 $13,005 $3,001 $75.03 Mountain View $153,926 $12,827 $2,960 $74.00 Sunnyvale $153,887 $12,823 $2,959 $73.98 Menlo Park $152,431 $12,702 $2,931 $73.28 San Francisco $152,395 $12,699 $2,930 $73.27 Stanford $151,978 $12,664 $2,922 $73.07 San Mateo $151,943 $12,661 $2,921 $73.05 Santa Clara $151,911 $12,659 $2,921 $73.03 San Jose $151,595 $12,632 $2,915 $72.88

Design Developer

Design Developer Salary in California

Q: How much does a Design Developer make in California?

The average annual pay for a design developer in California is $127,654 a year — that works out to approximately $61.37 an hour. That is 1.3% below the national average of $129,348. The middle 80% of Design Developers earn between $75,498 (10th percentile) and $154,944 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Design Developer Jobs in California?

We found several jobs related to Design Developer in California that pay more on average. Topping the list is Aircraft Design Engineer at $23,342 (18.3%) above Design Developer. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Aircraft Design Engineer $150,996 $12,583 $2,903 $72.59 Product Design Engineer Apple $129,851 $10,820 $2,497 $62.43 Technical Design Engineer $118,490 $9,874 $2,278 $56.97 Design And Development Engineer $94,895 $7,907 $1,824 $45.62 Cad Software Engineer $91,910 $7,659 $1,767 $44.19

$39.5K

$138.2K

$155.9K

$127,654

/year

$61.37

/hour

Design Developer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$129,348

California

$127,654

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How much does a Design Developer make in California?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average annual pay for a Design Developer in California is $127,654 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $61.37 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,454/week or $10,637/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $155,931 and as low as $39,476, the majority of Design Developer salaries currently range between $104,600 (25th percentile) to $154,900 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $154,944 annually in California. The average pay range for a Design Developer varies greatly (by as much as 50300), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

California ranks number 50 out of 50 states nationwide for Design Developer salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Design Developer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Design Developer on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Design Developer Jobs in California

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Design Developer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with Berkeley, and Mountain View, close behind in the second and third positions. Mountain View, beats the average in California by $26,272 (20.6%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $31,928 (25.0%) above the $127,654 average.

With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Design Developer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Cupertino, and San Jose, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Design Developer role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Cupertino	$159,582	$13,298	$3,068	$76.72
Berkeley	$156,071	$13,005	$3,001	$75.03
Mountain View	$153,926	$12,827	$2,960	$74.00
Sunnyvale	$153,887	$12,823	$2,959	$73.98
Menlo Park	$152,431	$12,702	$2,931	$73.28
San Francisco	$152,395	$12,699	$2,930	$73.27
Stanford	$151,978	$12,664	$2,922	$73.07
San Mateo	$151,943	$12,661	$2,921	$73.05
Santa Clara	$151,911	$12,659	$2,921	$73.03
San Jose	$151,595	$12,632	$2,915	$72.88

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Design Developer Jobs in California

Analyzing similar jobs related to the Design Developer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $127654 state average for Design Developer jobs.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Aircraft Design Engineer	$150,996	$12,583	$2,903	$72.59
Product Design Engineer Apple	$129,851	$10,820	$2,497	$62.43
Technical Design Engineer	$118,490	$9,874	$2,278	$56.97
Design And Development Engineer	$94,895	$7,907	$1,824	$45.62
Cad Software Engineer	$91,910	$7,659	$1,767	$44.19

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Design Developer salary in California as of August 2026. Shows a bar chart with salary percentiles ranging from $104,600 to $154,944 annually, with the California average at $127,654 per year or $61.37 per hour. Includes a list of the top 10 highest paying cities in California for Design Developer jobs, with Cupertino leading at $159,582 annually.

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