Development Engineer
Development Engineer Salary in California
$48.4K - $57.7K
4% of jobs
$57.7K - $67.1K
5% of jobs
$67.1K - $76.5K
15% of jobs
$77.2K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$76.5K - $85.9K
19% of jobs
The median wage is $88.9K / yr.
$85.9K - $95.2K
24% of jobs
$101.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$95.2K - $104.6K
13% of jobs
$104.6K - $114K
6% of jobs
$114K - $123.4K
5% of jobs
$123.4K - $132.7K
3% of jobs
$132.7K - $142.1K
5% of jobs
$142.1K - $151.5K
2% of jobs
$48.4K
$89.3K
$151.5K
$94,895
/year
$45.62
/hour
Development Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$96,155
California
California
$94,895
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How much does a Development Engineer make in California?
As of Aug 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Development Engineer in California is $94,895 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $45.62 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,824/week or $7,907/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $151,490 and as low as $48,358, the majority of Development Engineer salaries currently range between $78,500 (25th percentile) to $105,100 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $137,179 annually in California. The average pay range for a Development Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 26600), 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 Development Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Development Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Development Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Development Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Development Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with Berkeley, and Sunnyvale, close behind in the second and third positions. Sunnyvale, beats the average in California by $19,710 (20.8%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $23,735 (25.0%) above the $94,895 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Development Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Cupertino, and Daly City, , 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 Development Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino | $118,630 | $57.03 |
Berkeley | $117,735 | $56.60 |
Sunnyvale | $114,605 | $55.10 |
Mountain View | $114,425 | $55.01 |
San Francisco | $113,287 | $54.46 |
Santa Clara | $112,928 | $54.29 |
Livermore | $112,788 | $54.23 |
San Jose | $112,692 | $54.18 |
Milpitas | $112,056 | $53.87 |
Daly City | $111,414 | $53.56 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Development Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Development Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $94895 state average for Development Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Data Scientist Software Engineer | $162,857 | $78.30 |
Lead Sdet | $108,906 | $52.36 |
Business Development Engineer | $94,895 | $45.62 |
Software Support Engineer | $89,475 | $43.02 |
Associate Sdet | $54,359 | $26.13 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
