Software Development Engineer Salary in California
$62.7K - $75.5K
2% of jobs
$75.5K - $88.3K
5% of jobs
$88.3K - $101.2K
7% of jobs
$101.2K - $114K
8% of jobs
$119K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$114K - $126.8K
8% of jobs
$126.8K - $139.6K
17% of jobs
The median wage is $142.3K / yr.
$139.6K - $152.5K
15% of jobs
$152.5K - $165.3K
3% of jobs
$170.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$165.3K - $178.1K
25% of jobs
$178.1K - $191K
1% of jobs
$191K - $203.8K
9% of jobs
$62.7K
$141.1K
$202.8K
$145,592
/year
$70.00
/hour
Software Development Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,524
California
California
$145,592
Do you get a good deal as a Software Development 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 Development Engineer make in California?
As of Aug 7, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Development Engineer in California is $145,592 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.00 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,799/week or $12,132/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $202,809 and as low as $62,668, the majority of Software Development Engineer salaries currently range between $118,400 (25th percentile) to $170,700 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $202,315 annually in California. The average pay range for a Software Development Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 52300), 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 Development Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software 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 Software Development Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Development Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Development Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, close behind in the second and third positions. Mountain View, beats the average in California by $29,963 (20.6%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $36,414 (25.0%) above the $145,592 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Software 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 Campbell, , 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 Development Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino | $182,006 | $87.50 |
Sunnyvale | $175,831 | $84.53 |
Mountain View | $175,555 | $84.40 |
Santa Clara | $174,222 | $83.76 |
Palo Alto | $173,855 | $83.58 |
Menlo Park | $173,850 | $83.58 |
San Francisco | $173,808 | $83.56 |
San Jose | $172,857 | $83.10 |
Benicia | $171,903 | $82.65 |
Campbell | $170,745 | $82.09 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Development Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Software Development Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $145592 state average for Software Development Engineer jobs.
Nevertheless Sdet, Test Development Engineer, or Business Development Engineer may still be interesting positions to explore.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Sdet | $112,414 | $54.05 |
Test Development Engineer | $105,612 | $50.77 |
Business Development Engineer | $94,895 | $45.62 |
Software Testing | $89,305 | $42.94 |
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.
