Software Developers salary
in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Software Developers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro earn a median of $186,640 a year, based on BLS estimates for 69,030 jobs (May 2025). That is 37% above the U.S. median of $135,980 and 7% above the CA statewide median of $174,410. It ranks #2 of 339 metros with published figures for this job.
- SOURCEBLS OEWS, May 2025
- SAMPLE69,030 jobs (estimate)
- SCOPEall employers, all experience levels
- PERIODMay 2025 estimates
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EMPLOYERS FILING FOR THIS JOB IN SAN FRANCISCO · VISA-SPONSORED BASE WAGES
Median of each employer’s DOL LCA filings (5+ filings) in this metro, FY2026 Q3. Covers sponsored positions only.
- Decagon AI$340,000 · 8 filings
- Cartesia AI$317,500 · 11 filings
- Thinking Machines Lab$314,256 · 5 filings
- Morpheus AI$312,970 · 6 filings
- OpenAI OpCo$310,000 · 57 filings
- Sierra Technologies$298,069 · 10 filings
- Abridge AI$290,000 · 6 filings
- Ambience Healthcare$289,878 · 6 filings
- Lambda$287,256 · 5 filings
- Butler Labs$270,000 · 5 filings
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub$267,500 · 5 filings
- Tools for Humanity$267,500 · 6 filings
SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS PAY IN OTHER CA METROS
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAmedian $213,110
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CAmedian $163,270
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAmedian $160,920
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CAmedian $159,430
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CAmedian $158,290
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CAmedian $156,910
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CAmedian $148,630
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CAmedian $139,640
Questions
What is the average Software Developers salary in San Francisco?
The BLS median is $186,640 a year (May 2025). Half of the 69,030 jobs pay between $163,500 and $219,670. The 10th percentile is $128,090 and the 90th is $273,400.
Is San Francisco a high-paying metro for Software Developers?
That is 37% above the U.S. median of $135,980 and 7% above the CA statewide median of $174,410. It ranks #2 of 339 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.
Does this include experience levels?
BLS figures cover all experience levels together. Employer filings carry a DOL wage level, which the free checker can filter by (approximate).
Which employers pay Software Developers the most in San Francisco?
Among employers with 5+ visa-sponsored filings here, the highest medians were Decagon AI ($340,000), Cartesia AI ($317,500), Thinking Machines Lab ($314,256). These are base wages for sponsored positions, not all employees.
Sources: U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state) (metro area estimates, all employers); employer rows from U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). Base pay only. Estimates can have sampling error, especially for smaller metros.