Software Developers Salary in San Francisco, CA (2024)
Software Developers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn a median of $174,910 per year ($84.09 per hour) based on 76,900 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +31.4% 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 Francisco, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61.61 | $128,140 | |
| 25th percentile | $76.95 | $160,060 | |
| Median | $84.09 | $174,910 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $102.61 | $213,420 | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $90.31 | $187,840 |
How San Francisco, CA compares
The local median of $174,910 runs +31.4% above the US median of $133,080 for this occupation; it pays 136.5% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($73,960); within the metro it ranks 24th of 681 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA — this occupation | $174,910 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $133,080 | +31.4% |
| San Francisco, CA — all occupations | $73,960 | +136.5% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $174,910 | 0.0% |
San Francisco, CA has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.98 means the job is roughly 298% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.4%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 24th of 681 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco, CA
To put $174,910 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 24th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $222,840 | 5,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $221,810 | 26,640 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $220,330 | 2,960 |
| Lawyers | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Marketing Managers | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Podiatrists | $211,750 | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $211,730 | 18,380 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| Human Resources Managers | $206,420 | 5,890 |
| Dentists, General | $205,380 | 1,680 |
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 Francisco, CA?
The median annual wage is $174,910, or $84 per hour. That means half of the software developers working in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $187,840.
Is software developers pay in San Francisco, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 136.5% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $73,960. 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 Francisco, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $174,910 the metro median is 31.4% 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 Francisco, CA?
BLS counts about 76,900 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 31.96 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. San Francisco, CA has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.98 means the job is roughly 298% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.0%). 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.