Software Developer Engineer Salary in California
$29.1K - $47.9K
6% of jobs
$58K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$47.9K - $66.6K
34% of jobs
The median wage is $74.1K / yr.
$66.6K - $85.4K
23% of jobs
$99.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$85.4K - $104.1K
15% of jobs
$104.1K - $122.9K
9% of jobs
$122.9K - $141.6K
4% of jobs
$141.6K - $160.4K
5% of jobs
$160.4K - $179.1K
1% of jobs
$179.1K - $197.9K
1% of jobs
$197.9K - $216.6K
1% of jobs
$216.6K - $235.4K
0% of jobs
$29.1K
$73.5K
$237.8K
$98,952
/year
$47.57
/hour
Software Developer Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$100,265
California
California
$98,952
Do you get a good deal as a Software Developer Engineer?
Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.
Take The Breakroom Quiz
How much does a Software Developer Engineer make in California?
As of Jul 30, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Developer Engineer in California is $98,952 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $47.57 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,902/week or $8,246/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $237,844 and as low as $29,114, the majority of Software Developer Engineer salaries currently range between $62,700 (25th percentile) to $104,600 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $147,048 annually in California. The average pay range for a Software Developer Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 41900), 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 Software Developer Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for 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 Software Developer Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Developer Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Developer Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with Menlo Park, and San Francisco, close behind in the second and third positions. San Francisco, beats the average in California by $19,178 (19.4%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $24,750 (25.0%) above the $98,952 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a 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 11% between Cupertino, and Fremont, , 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 Software Developer Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino | $123,702 | $59.47 |
Menlo Park | $118,152 | $56.80 |
San Francisco | $118,130 | $56.79 |
Santa Clara | $117,756 | $56.61 |
San Jose | $117,510 | $56.50 |
Sunnyvale | $117,025 | $56.26 |
San Mateo | $114,202 | $54.90 |
Pleasanton | $111,586 | $53.65 |
Santa Barbara | $111,563 | $53.64 |
Fremont | $109,757 | $52.77 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Developer Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Software Developer Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $98952 state average for Software Developer Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Lead Software Engineer | $145,381 | $69.89 |
Senior Software Engineer 2 | $141,415 | $67.99 |
Senior Sdet | $123,570 | $59.41 |
Web Software Engineer | $121,128 | $58.23 |
Orchestra Librarian | $61,244 | $29.44 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
