Senior Software Developer Engineer Salary in California
$31.6K - $44.9K
0% of jobs
$44.9K - $58.2K
0% of jobs
$58.2K - $71.5K
1% of jobs
$71.5K - $84.9K
3% of jobs
$84.9K - $98.2K
8% of jobs
$106.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$98.2K - $111.5K
21% of jobs
The median wage is $121.4K / yr.
$111.5K - $124.8K
23% of jobs
$137.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$124.8K - $138.2K
20% of jobs
$138.2K - $151.5K
12% of jobs
$151.5K - $164.8K
7% of jobs
$164.8K - $178.1K
5% of jobs
$31.6K
$123.4K
$179.6K
$126,718
/year
$60.92
/hour
Senior Software Developer Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$128,400
California
California
$126,718
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How much does a Senior Software Developer Engineer make in California?
As of Aug 22, 2026, the average annual pay for a Senior Software Developer Engineer in California is $126,718 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $60.92 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,436/week or $10,559/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $179,616 and as low as $31,581, the majority of Senior Software Developer Engineer salaries currently range between $107,600 (25th percentile) to $142,100 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $165,306 annually in California. The average pay range for a Senior Software Developer Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 34500), 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 Senior Software Developer Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Senior Software Developer Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Senior Software Developer Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Senior Software Developer Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Senior Software Developer Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Berkeley, , with Redwood City, and Cupertino, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, beats the average in California by $29,018 (22.9%), and Berkeley, furthers that trend with another $30,500 (24.1%) above the $126,718 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Senior Software Developer Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 4% between Berkeley, 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 Senior Software Developer Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Berkeley | $157,218 | $75.59 |
Redwood City | $157,207 | $75.58 |
Cupertino | $155,736 | $74.87 |
Sunnyvale | $153,037 | $73.58 |
Mountain View | $152,797 | $73.46 |
Menlo Park | $151,314 | $72.75 |
San Francisco | $151,277 | $72.73 |
San Francisco Bay Area | $151,277 | $72.73 |
Livermore | $150,611 | $72.41 |
San Jose | $150,483 | $72.35 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Senior Software Developer Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Senior Software Developer Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $126718 state average for Senior Software Developer Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Embedded Software Engineer | $151,375 | $72.78 |
Python Backend | $146,292 | $70.33 |
Remote Python Django Developer | $113,599 | $54.61 |
Enterprise Software Developer | $105,480 | $50.71 |
Web Operations Engineer | $83,915 | $40.34 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
