In Los Angeles, CA, software developers earn a median of $160,920 a year, according to the latest BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. It runs 33% above the national median of $121,110 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $127,530 and $191,540 — a 64,010 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The average (mean) of $161,900 comes in higher than the median, which usually means a share of high earners is pulling the average up. The catch: Los Angeles is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $77.37, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for software developers across all U.S. metros in our data is $121,110.