SALARY · SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS · CALIFORNIA

Software Developers salary in California

Averages can hide a lot. Medians hide less. That is why this page leads with the median for software developers in California: $174,410 a year. The mean is listed too, so you can see when a small group of high earners pulls the average upward.

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY

$174,410

$84 per hour at the median · That is $38,430 (28.3 percent) above the national median of $135,980 for this occupation.

$186,770Mean annual salary
$90Mean hourly wage
$284,390People employed in this job in California

Salary range

25th: $136,990Median: $174,41075th: $216,670
MeasureAnnual
25th percentile$136,990
Median (50th percentile)$174,410
75th percentile$216,670
Mean$186,770

The middle half of workers earned from $136,990 to $216,670 a year. Do not read the percentile range as good versus bad jobs. It mostly reflects experience, hours, employer type and local demand. A new starter near the 25th percentile and a veteran near the 75th can both be fairly paid for their stage.

What stays in your pocket on the median salary

ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME PAY

$118,644 a year
$9,887 a month
Federal tax $30,592 · FICA $13,342 · State tax $11,831
Read this before you use the take-home figure. It is a single-filer estimate using the 2026 standard deduction. It leaves out credits, other deductions, local taxes, and retirement or health deductions. Your actual paycheck can differ, and for states without a verified 2026 table in this build, state tax is still to be added once its table is verified.

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