SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + CA
COL Index: 144.21 (+44.2% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 63.5% Realized
$102,146 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $160,920 $77.37/hr
Effective Tax Drag 30.52% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$49,118 $1,889.17/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $77.37 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$9,655/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$2,317/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$25,038
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$9,977
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$2,333
California Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$9,678
State Disability Insurance (SDI)
Statutory Payroll Assessment
-$2,092
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$102,146 ($3,928.71 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Software Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $160,920
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $98.3k 25th $128k Median: $160,920 50th (Median) $161k 75th $192k 90th $223k You: $160,920
10th (Entry) $98,270 $47.25/hr
25th (Junior) $127,530 $61.31/hr
50th (Median) $160,920 $77.37/hr
75th (Senior) $191,540 $92.09/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $223,150 $107.28/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$104,732$50.35/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$151,476$72.83/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$203,546$97.86/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$269,817$129.72/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA medianView National Software Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
28% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $2,402/month Requires minimum annual gross of $96,080
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $2,964/month Requires minimum annual gross of $118,560
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $31.89/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $28.35/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$160,920-$49,118$102,146$3,928.71
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$191,093-$60,855$118,772$4,568.16
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$221,265-$71,320$136,669$5,256.49
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$251,438-$83,344$153,007$5,884.88
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$281,610-$96,159$168,554$6,482.85
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and California tax codes.

Market Baseline
$160,920/yr
$77.37/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
30.52% Effective
-$49,118 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
28% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,110/mo
Post-$2,402/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1252
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA report a median annual wage of $160,920, 18.3% above the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $98,270 to $223,150, and HUD’s $2,402 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 17.9% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $31.89 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+32.4%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+16.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+4.0%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+3.7%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+3.2%
Boulder, CO$164,560+2.3%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+1.5%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+1.1%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+0.7%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$159,430-0.9%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$234,290$112.64/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$204,370$98.25/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$193,340$92.95/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$190,900$91.78/hr
Financial Manager$175,310$84.28/hr
Marketing Managers$171,900$82.64/hr
Human Resources Managers$168,400$80.96/hr
Advertising and Promotions Managers$167,930$80.74/hr
Public Relations Managers$163,830$78.76/hr
Physician Assistant$161,890$77.83/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 377 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Software Engineer Salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is $160,920 a year ($77.37/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

The median annual wage is $160,920 ($77.37 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $98,270 and $223,150. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA after taxes?

On the median wage of $160,920, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $108,586 a year ($9,049 a month) after $52,334 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 32.52%, using 2026 tax rules.