Salary benchmark
Is $160,920 good for Software Engineer in Los Angeles, CA?
For a mapped Software Developers role in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, a base salary near $160,920 sits around the official BLS OEWS median wage estimate. A stronger offer usually includes clear bonus terms, benefits, review timing, and limited restrictive language.
Role mapping note: Design, develop, test, and maintain software applications and systems.
| Percentile | Annual base benchmark |
|---|---|
| 10th | $98,270 |
| 25th | $127,530 |
| 50th | $160,920 |
| 75th | $191,540 |
| 90th | $223,150 |
How to use this benchmark
- Below $127,530
- Below the local 25th percentile for this mapped occupation. Confirm level, scope, and whether the employer can move base salary or add guaranteed sign-on.
- $127,530 to $160,920
- Between the 25th percentile and median. Check whether the role is entry, mid-level, or scoped below the public occupation mapping before deciding how hard to push.
- $160,920 to $191,540
- Between median and the 75th percentile. Base pay is more competitive, so negotiation may shift toward bonus clarity, equity terms, review timing, schedule, and benefits.
- Above $191,540
- Above the 75th percentile. Pressure-test total compensation quality and restrictive clauses instead of assuming the headline base salary tells the whole story.
Negotiation signals for this role
- The role owns production systems, release quality, incident response, or architecture rather than isolated feature tickets.
- The stack or domain requires specialized experience, such as infrastructure, security, data platforms, AI systems, or regulated software.
- The level includes mentoring, hiring-loop participation, technical roadmap input, or cross-team design decisions.
Offer risks to check
- Equity is presented as headline value without vesting, refresh cadence, exercise window, or post-termination details.
- On-call, weekend releases, or incident response are expected but not bounded in the offer letter.
- IP assignment, non-solicit, or non-compete language reaches into side projects or future work too broadly.
What this public benchmark misses
- This page maps Software Engineer to SOC 15-1252, Software Developers; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group.
- Public wage data does not separate cash-heavy offers from equity-heavy startup or public-company packages.
- The benchmark cannot see seniority ladders, stack scarcity, remote geo bands, patent clauses, or refresh-grant practices.
- BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- Which engineering level and compensation band is this offer mapped to?
- How are on-call rotations, incident response, and release support handled?
- What is the equity vesting schedule, refresh process, and exercise window?
- Can the first compensation review date be included in writing?
Los Angeles, CA and remote context
- Confirm the exact Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim office or territory, because commute and parking can materially change the offer.
- Ask how hybrid days, travel between sites, relocation, and remote work affect the pay band.
- If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to Los Angeles, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 15-1252 and BLS area code 0031080. OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not fully capture equity, signing bonus, severance, or every total-compensation detail.
FAQ
Is $160,920 a good salary for a Software Engineer in Los Angeles, CA?
$160,920 is near the BLS OEWS median base-wage estimate for the mapped Software Developers occupation in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area. Treat it as a base salary anchor, then evaluate bonus, equity, benefits, schedule, review timing, and restrictive terms before deciding whether the full offer is strong.
What should a Software Engineer negotiate beyond base salary?
Start with level and scope. For this role, one useful signal is whether the role owns production systems, release quality, incident response, or architecture rather than isolated feature tickets. Also ask for written details on any variable pay, equity, review timing, and offer terms that could affect future mobility.
What does this benchmark miss for Software Engineer offers?
This page maps Software Engineer to SOC 15-1252, Software Developers; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group. Public wage data does not separate cash-heavy offers from equity-heavy startup or public-company packages. The benchmark cannot see seniority ladders, stack scarcity, remote geo bands, patent clauses, or refresh-grant practices. BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
How should remote or hybrid offers tied to Los Angeles, CA be checked?
Confirm the exact Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim office or territory, because commute and parking can materially change the offer. Ask how hybrid days, travel between sites, relocation, and remote work affect the pay band. If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to Los Angeles, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Which public data source is used on this page?
This page uses BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers) and BLS area code 0031080. It uses public OEWS wage estimates, not private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
On an H-1B (or hoping for one)?
Since March 2026 the H-1B lottery weighs entries by OFLC wage level, so where this salary lands changes your selection odds. Request a free H-1B Offer Brief — estimated wage level, lottery entries, and a prevailing-wage sanity check for your offer.