San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a software developer make in San Francisco-Oakland, CA?

In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, software developers earned a median of $186,640 a year ($89.73 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 69,030 of these jobs there. That is 151% above the $74,260 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $128,090 and $273,400; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $125,855 in take-home pay.

Software developer pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA at a glance

Median salary

$186,640$89.73 per hour · $15,553 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$128,090$61.58/hr
25th percentile$163,500$78.61/hr
75th percentile$219,670$105.61/hr
90th percentile$273,400$131.44/hr
Jobs in this metro69,030Location quotient 2.68 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here151% aboveAll-jobs median $74,260
Against California7% aboveStatewide median $174,410
Against the U.S.37% aboveNational median $135,980

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Software developer salary in San Francisco-Oakland, CA after taxes

$186,640
$70,000$375,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$186,640
Net 67%
Fed 18%
CA 7%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$125,855After all taxes
Monthly deposit$10,488Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$4,841Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate32.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$33,528 / yr
California state income tax$13,113 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$14,145 / yr

Software developers pay range in San Francisco-Oakland, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What software developers earned in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$61.58/hr$10,674$128,090$91,148
25th percentile$78.61/hr$13,625$163,500$112,058
MedianMedian$89.73/hr$15,553$186,640$125,855
75th percentile$105.61/hr$18,306$219,670$147,086
90th percentile$131.44/hr$22,783$273,400$177,277

Is $186,640 a good salary in San Francisco-Oakland, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for software developers next to both.

Median household income$136,027Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)115.615.6% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household137.2%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Software developer pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for software developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for software developers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area was $186,640 in May 2025, about $15,553 a month or $89.73 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $174,410, so the metro pays 7% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for software developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

The median hourly wage for software developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA was $89.73 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $61.58 an hour and one in ten earned more than $131.44.

How many software developers work in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

BLS estimated 69,030 jobs for software developers in the metro in May 2025, or 29.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 2.68 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for software developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

BLS wage estimates for software developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA run from $128,090 at the 10th percentile to $163,500 at the 25th, $219,670 at the 75th, and $273,400 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do software developers take home after taxes in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

On a median gross salary of $186,640, an estimated $125,855 lands in net take-home pay per year ($4,841 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $60,785 (an effective rate of 32.6%).

How much do software developers make per month in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

On the median annual salary of $186,640, gross monthly income is $15,553. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $10,488 per month (or $4,841 every two weeks).

Is $186,640 a good salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

At $186,640, the median salary for software developers is 137.2% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median household income ($136,027). It is 151% above the $74,260 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 115.6, so prices here run 15.6% above the U.S. average.