California tech compensation continues to set the bar for the industry. This guide covers total compensation (base salary + equity + bonus) for the most in-demand tech roles across major California cities, with comparison data from key out-of-state hubs.
All figures represent total compensation estimates for 2026, sourced from levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Blind, and industry surveys. Ranges cover the 25th to 75th percentile.
Software engineering remains the backbone of California tech hiring. Demand for full-stack, backend, and infrastructure engineers continues to outpace supply, especially for AI/ML-adjacent roles.
| City | SWE (Mid) | Senior SWE | Staff SWE |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $185K | $260K | $380K |
| San Jose | $180K | $252K | $369K |
| Los Angeles | $163K | $229K | $334K |
| San Diego | $155K | $218K | $319K |
| Sacramento | $144K | $203K | $296K |
| Austin, TX | $152K | $213K | $312K |
| Denver, CO | $148K | $208K | $304K |
| New York, NY | $181K | $255K | $372K |
The EM role continues to command premium compensation, reflecting the difficulty of the position and the high impact on team output.
| City | EM (Median) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $310K | $220K - $440K |
| San Jose | $301K | $213K - $427K |
| Los Angeles | $273K | $194K - $387K |
| San Diego | $260K | $185K - $370K |
| Sacramento | $242K | $172K - $343K |
PM compensation varies widely by company stage and the specific product area. Technical PMs with engineering backgrounds tend to earn at the higher end of ranges.
| City | PM (Median) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $220K | $160K - $310K |
| San Jose | $213K | $155K - $301K |
| Los Angeles | $194K | $141K - $273K |
| San Diego | $185K | $134K - $260K |
| Sacramento | $172K | $125K - $242K |
Data science roles have bifurcated into analytics-focused (lower comp) and ML engineering-focused (higher comp) tracks. The numbers below reflect the broader data science market.
| City | DS (Median) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $200K | $150K - $280K |
| San Jose | $194K | $146K - $272K |
| Los Angeles | $176K | $132K - $246K |
| San Diego | $168K | $126K - $235K |
| Sacramento | $156K | $117K - $218K |
DevOps and platform engineering roles are in high demand as companies invest in developer productivity and infrastructure reliability. The "platform engineer" title is increasingly replacing traditional DevOps.
| City | DevOps (Median) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $185K | $140K - $255K |
| San Jose | $180K | $136K - $247K |
| Los Angeles | $163K | $123K - $224K |
| San Diego | $155K | $118K - $214K |
| Sacramento | $144K | $109K - $199K |
Design compensation has risen significantly as companies recognize the revenue impact of strong UX. Senior and principal designers at top companies can approach engineering-level compensation.
| City | Designer (Median) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $155K | $115K - $215K |
| San Jose | $150K | $112K - $209K |
| Los Angeles | $136K | $101K - $189K |
| San Diego | $130K | $97K - $181K |
| Sacramento | $121K | $90K - $168K |
Total compensation in California tech typically includes several components beyond base salary:
Use our Salary Calculator to estimate your after-tax take-home pay for any role and city combination.