Software Developers salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earns $160,920 a year ($77.37 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn between $127,530 and $191,540 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $98,270 or less and the top 10 percent earn $223,150 or more. BLS estimates 55,540 Software Developers jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area — 8.855 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.82 (below the national concentration). That is 3.3% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the #6 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn about $8.99 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $109,152.50 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Software Developers is about $6.06 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #17 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $160,920 falls between the national median ($135,980) and the national 75th percentile ($171,980). Across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median is $55,850 a year — Software Developers pay is 188.1% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $77.84 | $161,900 |
| 10th percentile | $47.24 | $98,270 |
| 25th percentile | $61.31 | $127,530 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $77.37 | $160,920 |
| 75th percentile | $92.09 | $191,540 |
| 90th percentile | $107.28 | $223,150 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($223,150 against $98,270). The middle half spans $64,010 — from $127,530 to $191,540. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($107.28) is 2.27 times the 10th ($47.24). In the upper half of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $191,540 takes home $126,269.60 and the 90th percentile wage of $223,150 takes home $144,101.94 — $17,832.34 more net for $31,610 more gross. Against the median take-home of $108,586.42, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $161,900 sits 0.6% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above Registered Nurses at $135,560. Software Developers accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA employs 1.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $160,920.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $27,354.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $9,977.04 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $2,333.34 |
| California income tax | $10,576.42 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $2,091.96 |
| Total deductions | $52,333.58 |
| Net pay (annual) | $108,586.42 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $4,176.40 |
| Total deduction rate | 32.52% of gross |
At the median, $108,586.42 of the $160,920 gross is kept ($4,176.40 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 32.52%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 26.80% at the 10th percentile, 29.97% at the 25th percentile, 34.08% at the 75th percentile, 35.42% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $36,965.84 on a gross rise of $64,010.
The same engine at the other published points of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($98,270) | $71,935.38 | $2,766.75 | 26.80% |
| 25th percentile ($127,530) | $89,303.76 | $3,434.76 | 29.97% |
| Median ($160,920) | $108,586.42 | $4,176.40 | 32.52% |
| 75th percentile ($191,540) | $126,269.60 | $4,856.52 | 34.08% |
| 90th percentile ($223,150) | $144,101.94 | $5,542.38 | 35.42% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $71,935.38 a year at the 10th percentile to $144,101.94 at the 90th — a spread of $72,166.56 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median wage of $55,850 takes home $45,005.40 a year ($1,730.98 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Software Developers median take-home of $108,586.42 sits $63,581.02 (above that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $160,920 is $24,940 (18.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $161,900 a year in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $13,800 (9.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $223,150 is 158% of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($141,370), and its 10th percentile of $98,270 is 274% of the area-wide 10th ($35,870).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $160,920 | $77.37 | $161,900 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$160,920 a year ($77.37 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $161,900 a year. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $160,920 in California?
About $108,586.42 a year ($4,176.40 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 32.52% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $191,540, take-home is $126,269.60.
How does pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $160,920 is $24,940 (18.3%) above the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $223,150, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$223,150 a year or more ($107.28 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
On $223,150 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $144,101.94 a year ($5,542.38 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 35.42%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
BLS estimates 55,540 Software Developers jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — 8.855 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The location quotient is 0.82 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
From $71,935.38 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($98,270) to $144,101.94 at the 90th ($223,150), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
About $8.99 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 55,540 multiplied by the mean wage of $161,900.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.