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Computer Programmers

SOC 15-1251 · 2024-2034

Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.

How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.

Shrinking -3.8%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.

What California expects of this job

Typical pay in California
$120,028per year
Projected openings
6,210
Projected change
-3.8%
Usually needs
Bachelor's degree

Skills this work uses most

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.

  1. Programming
  2. Active Listening
  3. Complex Problem Solving
  4. Critical Thinking
  5. Quality Control Analysis
  6. Reading Comprehension

Pay by region

RegionTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openings
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)$163,578830
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)$137,1901,060
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)$128,834980
Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)$123,883840
San Rafael MD (Marin County)$119,37560
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County)$111,60330
Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)$111,27440
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County)$109,09780
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$108,8111,840
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties)$107,884340
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County)$105,806830
Merced MSA (Merced County)$100,24210
Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County)$100,24230
Salinas MSA (Monterey County)$98,52710
North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties)$96,62720
Redding MSA (Shasta County)$96,54420
Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County)$94,07920
Chico MSA (Butte County)$93,31920
Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties)$88,61540
Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County)$85,74920
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)$85,009210
Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County)$84,92760
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County)$72,796120

What the pay actually ranges across

The lowest-paid tenth earn under
$72,278
A quarter earn under
$85,827
Half earn under
$120,028
Three quarters earn under
$152,904
The highest-paid tenth earn over
$177,123

A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.

Similar work

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.

OccupationTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openingsProjected change
Software Developers$179,292207,260+18.4%
Web and Digital Interface Designers$139,92023,940+13.9%
Computer Occupations, All Other$138,20359,320+11.1%
Computer Systems Analysts$131,29541,500+9.7%
Database Administrators$116,2253,800+1.4%
Database Architects$174,9233,880+9.5%

Programs that train for this job — 55