NextChapter

Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the West Coast

San Francisco has the most software and engineering openings in the West Coast: 3,412 openings, in a market where engineering is 33% of openings across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 San Francisco, CA: 3,412 openings
  • #2 Seattle, WA: 1,776 openings
  • #3 Los Angeles, CA: 1,159 openings
  • 60 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 33% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1San Francisco CA3,412 openings
  2. 2Seattle WA1,776 openings
  3. 3Los Angeles CA1,159 openings
  4. 4San Diego CA1,095 openings
  5. 5San Jose CA1,044 openings
  6. 6Sunnyvale CA872 openings
  7. 7Santa Clara CA785 openings
  8. 8Redmond WA686 openings
  9. 9Mountain View CA680 openings
  10. 10Irvine CA586 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: San Francisco (3,412 openings) is well clear of Irvine at #10 (586 openings).
  • San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,412 engineering openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Engineering hiring clusters in a handful of metros. Counting engineering openings shows where the demand for software and engineering skills is deepest.

How to use it

Use it to decide where to network and which employers to follow. A big market also means more competition, so compare it with the pay and entry-level lists.

The top 25

  1. 1

    San Francisco CA

    3,412 openings

    Share of all openings
    28%
    Median engineering pay
    $233k
    All openings
    12,335

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 3,412 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  2. 2

    Seattle WA

    1,776 openings

    Share of all openings
    32%
    Median engineering pay
    $200k
    All openings
    5,635

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 1,776 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  3. 3

    Los Angeles CA

    1,159 openings

    Share of all openings
    21%
    Median engineering pay
    $165k
    All openings
    5,439

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 1,159 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  4. 4

    San Diego CA

    1,095 openings

    Share of all openings
    34%
    Median engineering pay
    $162k
    All openings
    3,240

    Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics

    Based on 1,095 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Diego

  5. 5

    San Jose CA

    1,044 openings

    Share of all openings
    41%
    Median engineering pay
    $210k
    All openings
    2,552

    Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems

    Based on 1,044 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Jose

  6. 6

    Sunnyvale CA

    872 openings

    Share of all openings
    53%
    Median engineering pay
    $208k
    All openings
    1,655

    Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Amazon, Wayve

    Based on 872 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sunnyvale

  7. 7

    Santa Clara CA

    785 openings

    Share of all openings
    46%
    Median engineering pay
    $207k
    All openings
    1,689

    Hiring most here: Nvidia, Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices

    Based on 785 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Clara

  8. 8

    Redmond WA

    686 openings

    Share of all openings
    59%
    Median engineering pay
    $209k
    All openings
    1,166

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 686 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  9. 9

    Mountain View CA

    680 openings

    Share of all openings
    42%
    Median engineering pay
    $220k
    All openings
    1,637

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Google, Waymo

    Based on 680 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mountain View

  10. 10

    Irvine CA

    586 openings

    Share of all openings
    37%
    Median engineering pay
    $170k
    All openings
    1,587

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive

    Based on 586 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Irvine

  11. 11

    Long Beach CA

    534 openings

    Share of all openings
    61%
    Median engineering pay
    $159k
    All openings
    876

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 534 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  12. 12

    El Segundo CA

    491 openings

    Share of all openings
    51%
    Median engineering pay
    $168k
    All openings
    959

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 491 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  13. 13

    Palo Alto CA

    483 openings

    Share of all openings
    38%
    Median engineering pay
    $200k
    All openings
    1,263

    Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care

    Based on 483 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Palo Alto

  14. 14

    Bellevue WA

    421 openings

    Share of all openings
    29%
    Median engineering pay
    $205k
    All openings
    1,455

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 421 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bellevue

  15. 15

    San Mateo CA

    361 openings

    Share of all openings
    38%
    Median engineering pay
    $249k
    All openings
    960

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 361 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Mateo

  16. 16

    Torrance CA

    361 openings

    Share of all openings
    48%
    Median engineering pay
    $173k
    All openings
    745

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 361 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  17. 17

    Fremont CA

    226 openings

    Share of all openings
    44%
    Median engineering pay
    $186k
    All openings
    510

    Hiring most here: LAM Research, Coherent, Agility Robotics

    Based on 226 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fremont

  18. 18

    Menlo Park CA

    174 openings

    Share of all openings
    39%
    Median engineering pay
    $201k
    All openings
    449

    Hiring most here: Snowflake, Hippocratic AI, Exponent

    Based on 174 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Menlo Park

  19. 19

    Sacramento CA

    167 openings

    Share of all openings
    12%
    Median engineering pay
    $138k
    All openings
    1,431

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, BKF Engineers

    Based on 167 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  20. 20

    Foster City CA

    158 openings

    Share of all openings
    31%
    Median engineering pay
    $230k
    All openings
    517

    Hiring most here: Gilead Sciences, Zoox, Replit

    Based on 158 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Foster City

  21. 21

    Carlsbad CA

    145 openings

    Share of all openings
    46%
    Median engineering pay
    $125k
    All openings
    313

    Hiring most here: Viasat, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 145 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Carlsbad

  22. 22

    Portland OR

    136 openings

    Share of all openings
    16%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    837

    Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear

    Based on 136 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Portland

  23. 23

    Redwood City CA

    130 openings

    Share of all openings
    25%
    Median engineering pay
    $200k
    All openings
    514

    Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI

    Based on 130 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redwood City

  24. 24

    Milpitas CA

    128 openings

    Share of all openings
    47%
    Median engineering pay
    $165k
    All openings
    271

    Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, Psiquantum, KLA

    Based on 128 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milpitas

  25. 25

    Oakland CA

    118 openings

    Share of all openings
    19%
    Median engineering pay
    $207k
    All openings
    609

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran

    Based on 118 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oakland

Full ranking

All 60 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1San Francisco CA3,412 openings3,412
2Seattle WA1,776 openings1,776
3Los Angeles CA1,159 openings1,159
4San Diego CA1,095 openings1,095
5San Jose CA1,044 openings1,044
6Sunnyvale CA872 openings872
7Santa Clara CA785 openings785
8Redmond WA686 openings686
9Mountain View CA680 openings680
10Irvine CA586 openings586
11Long Beach CA534 openings534
12El Segundo CA491 openings491
13Palo Alto CA483 openings483
14Bellevue WA421 openings421
15San Mateo CA361 openings361
16Torrance CA361 openings361
17Fremont CA226 openings226
18Menlo Park CA174 openings174
19Sacramento CA167 openings167
20Foster City CA158 openings158
21Carlsbad CA145 openings145
22Portland OR136 openings136
23Redwood City CA130 openings130
24Milpitas CA128 openings128
25Oakland CA118 openings118
26San Carlos CA112 openings112
27Hillsboro OR109 openings109
28Berkeley CA106 openings106
29Santa Ana CA100 openings100
30Kirkland WA82 openings82
31Alameda CA81 openings81
32Everett WA80 openings80
33Palmdale CA79 openings79
34Kent WA77 openings77
35Newark CA76 openings76
36Goleta CA67 openings67
37Pasadena CA62 openings62
38Roseville CA60 openings60
39Santa Monica CA57 openings57
40Santa Rosa CA57 openings57
41Richland WA54 openings54
42Bothell WA49 openings49
43Canoga Park CA49 openings49
44Pleasanton CA48 openings48
45Santa Barbara CA45 openings45
46Yorba Linda CA43 openings43
47Newport Beach CA42 openings42
48San Leandro CA41 openings41
49Tualatin OR40 openings40
50Hayward CA39 openings39
51San Luis Obispo CA39 openings39
52Vancouver WA39 openings39
53Edwards AFB CA38 openings38
54Beaverton OR36 openings36
55Folsom CA36 openings36
56Burbank CA34 openings34
57Huntington Beach CA34 openings34
58Salem OR34 openings34
59Carson CA33 openings33
60Riverside CA30 openings30

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering.

Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for software and engineering jobs in the west coast?
San Francisco has the most software and engineering openings in the West Coast: 3,412 openings, in a market where engineering is 33% of openings across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
60 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 60 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering. Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-west-coast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-west-coast">Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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