Software Developers Salary in San Diego, CA (2024)
Software Developers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median of $159,240 per year ($76.56 per hour) based on 21,080 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +19.7% against the national median of $133,080 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where software developers actually sit across the pay range in San Diego, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45.74 | $95,130 | |
| 25th percentile | $60.18 | $125,170 | |
| Median | $76.56 | $159,240 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $83.86 | $174,420 | |
| 90th percentile | $101.97 | $212,100 | |
| Average (mean) | $75.89 | $157,860 |
How San Diego, CA compares
The local median of $159,240 runs +19.7% above the US median of $133,080 for this occupation; it pays 181.4% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($56,580); within the metro it ranks 23rd of 653 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA — this occupation | $159,240 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $133,080 | +19.7% |
| San Diego, CA — all occupations | $56,580 | +181.4% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $174,910 | -9.0% |
At a location quotient of 1.28, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 128% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.7%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 23rd of 653 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Diego, CA
To put $159,240 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 23rd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220,840 | 50 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $215,010 | 170 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $205,650 | 180 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $199,590 | 2,630 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $193,370 | 7,620 |
| Podiatrists | $187,010 | 60 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $185,550 | 3,690 |
| Dentists, General | $176,970 | 1,950 |
| Marketing Managers | $171,590 | 4,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $169,230 | 3,200 |
Where software developers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $120,490 to $174,910. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $174,910 | 76,900 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $169,340 | 72,730 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $161,970 | 119,610 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $159,240 | 21,080 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $155,330 | 54,650 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $154,240 | 48,200 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $150,880 | 68,210 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $149,010 | 16,620 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $137,350 | 16,620 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $136,760 | 4,340 |
See the full national picture on the Software Developers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for software developers in San Diego, CA?
The median annual wage is $159,240, or $77 per hour. That means half of the software developers working in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $157,860.
What do the highest and lowest paid software developers in San Diego, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $95,130 or less, while the top 10% earn $212,100 or more — a spread of $116,970 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $125,170 and $174,420.
Is software developers pay in San Diego, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 181.4% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $56,580. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does San Diego, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $159,240 the metro median is 19.7% higher than the US median of $133,080 for software developers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $120,490 to $174,910.
How many software developers work in San Diego, CA?
BLS counts about 21,080 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 13.75 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.28, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 128% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.7%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.