Software Developers salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earns $186,640 a year ($89.73 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn between $163,500 and $219,670 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $128,090 or less and the top 10 percent earn $273,400 or more. BLS estimates 69,030 Software Developers jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area — 29.078 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 2.68 (well above the national concentration). That is 4.1% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is the #4 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn about $13.35 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $127,360.88 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Software Developers is about $8.79 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #1 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #2 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $186,640 falls above the national 75th percentile of $171,980. Across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is $74,260 a year — Software Developers pay is 151.3% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $93.00 | $193,430 |
| 10th percentile | $61.58 | $128,090 |
| 25th percentile | $78.61 | $163,500 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $89.73 | $186,640 |
| 75th percentile | $105.61 | $219,670 |
| 90th percentile | $131.44 | $273,400 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($273,400 against $128,090). The middle half spans $56,170 — from $163,500 to $219,670. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($131.44) is 2.13 times the 10th ($61.58). In the upper half of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $219,670 takes home $142,370.70 and the 90th percentile wage of $273,400 takes home $169,033.66 — $26,662.96 more net for $53,730 more gross. Against the median take-home of $123,439.98, the top decile keeps 1.37 times as much. The mean wage of $193,430 sits 3.6% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above Registered Nurses at $186,610. Software Developers accounts for 2.9% of all employment in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA employs 1.9 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) | $186,640.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $33,527.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $11,571.68 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $2,706.28 |
| California income tax | $12,968.38 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $2,426.32 |
| Total deductions | $63,200.02 |
| Net pay (annual) | $123,439.98 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $4,747.69 |
| Total deduction rate | 33.86% of gross |
At the median, $123,439.98 of the $186,640 gross is kept ($4,747.69 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 33.86%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 30.03% at the 10th percentile, 32.67% at the 25th percentile, 35.19% at the 75th percentile, 38.17% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $32,293.94 on a gross rise of $56,170.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($128,090) | $89,627.16 | $3,447.20 | 30.03% |
| 25th percentile ($163,500) | $110,076.76 | $4,233.72 | 32.67% |
| Median ($186,640) | $123,439.98 | $4,747.69 | 33.86% |
| 75th percentile ($219,670) | $142,370.70 | $5,475.80 | 35.19% |
| 90th percentile ($273,400) | $169,033.66 | $6,501.29 | 38.17% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $89,627.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $169,033.66 at the 90th — a spread of $79,406.50 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median wage of $74,260 takes home $57,500.66 a year ($2,211.56 per paycheck, deduction rate 22.57%). The Software Developers median take-home of $123,439.98 sits $65,939.32 (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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $186,640 is $50,660 (37.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $193,430 a year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $45,330 (30.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $273,400 is 134% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($203,570), and its 10th percentile of $128,090 is 326% of the area-wide 10th ($39,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $186,640 | $89.73 | $193,430 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$186,640 a year ($89.73 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $193,430 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #1 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $186,640 in California?
About $123,439.98 a year ($4,747.69 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 33.86% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $219,670, take-home is $142,370.70.
How does pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $186,640 is $50,660 (37.3%) above the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $273,400, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$273,400 a year or more ($131.44 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On $273,400 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $169,033.66 a year ($6,501.29 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 38.17%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS estimates 69,030 Software Developers jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — 29.078 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The location quotient is 2.68 — well above 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
From $89,627.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($128,090) to $169,033.66 at the 90th ($273,400), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
About $13.35 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 69,030 multiplied by the mean wage of $193,430.
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.