California is not one pay market

Values checked October 31, 2026. Differences use California as the denominator: 12,230 ÷ 174,410 = 7.0%; −13,490 ÷ 174,410 = −7.7%, rounded to one decimal. These are comparisons across geographic workforces, not changes over time.

Which boundary fits your offer?

Work tied to an office

Start with the metro that contains the work location. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim is a metropolitan area, not Los Angeles city alone. San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont is also broader than one city.

A California-wide role

Use the state figure as broad context, then ask whether the employer uses a statewide band or a specific local market. A state estimate does not describe every location within it.

Remote or hybrid

Ask which work location or pay zone sets the range. The employer’s headquarters, your home address and the office you attend may imply different comparisons. A California mailing address alone does not settle the question.

Keep the SOC, reference period and wage measure fixed when switching geography. A median is the 50th percentile, not the mean or a seniority band. Match actual duties to the occupation before using any of these figures.

Worked example: a USD 175,000 offer

Fictional offer · no employer or individual represented

Those differences do not establish whether the offer is good or what the employer should pay. Check responsibilities, engineering level and work location; separate salary, variable pay, equity and benefits. OEWS wage estimates are not an exact base-salary or total-compensation measure.

“Which job family, level and geographic pay zone did you use for this salary range, and would that range change if my work location changed?”

For a move within California, build a separate budget for housing, commuting, taxes and benefits from your actual circumstances. This wage comparison does not estimate take-home pay, living costs or savings.

Source and interpretation notes

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) observations above use the May 2025 reference period, annual median wage datatype 13 and Software Developers SOC 15-1252. API period A01 is the annual observation. This is a dated snapshot, not a 2026 wage forecast or a claim of the latest release.

The BLS OEWS FAQ explains that wage estimates cover wages and salaries and exclude nonproduction bonuses and employer costs of nonwage benefits. They do not value the complete package in a specific offer. Each card links to the exact official series, year and unit used here.

Coverage here is California and two California metro areas. It is not an international salary comparison. Review new OEWS releases before updating the figures, and preserve the same period across all three geographies.