In Irvine, 61.7% of the 735 job postings we track list a pay range, and the median posted pay is $150,000 a year. 12.8% are remote, 9.7% are entry level, and 36.2% have been open for more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).
What stands out
A $157,500 posted salary in the Los Angeles area buys about what $138,500 buys in the average US metro area, because prices here run 14% above the national average.
Housing costs run 70% above the US average here (BEA regional price parities).
62.4% of open job postings list a pay range, 4th of 99 metro areas.
41.1% of open postings have been listed for more than 60 days (median 44 days), 10th highest of 99 metro areas.
After adjusting for local prices, the typical worker's official median wage ($56,000) is worth $49,000 in average-US dollars, 75th of 99 metro areas.
Los Angeles compared with similar-sized metro areas: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
735open postings from 120 employers
61.7%list a pay range (#8 of 71 published cities)
$150,000median posted pay (middle half: $116,500 to $180,000), from 404 postings with pay
12.8%remote, 0.1% hybrid
31 daysmedian time a posting has been open; 36.2% over 60 days
$56,000official median wage for all jobs in the metro area (BLS)
9.7%entry-level postings
CA requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2023).
The metro area's unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2026-08 (5.8% a year earlier) (BLS, not seasonally adjusted). Across California, employers had 674,000 job openings in 2025-12, an openings rate of 3.6% (BLS JOLTS). Indeed's own measure of job postings in the metro area is 15.6% below its February 2020 level and 1.3% lower than a year ago (Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026-10-02).
Posted pay vs official wages
Kind of job
Median posted pay
Closest official occupation
Official median wage (BLS, May 2025)
Software developers
$203,500 40 postings
software developers
$161,000
Official wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics median annual wage for all workers in that occupation in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. Posted pay is the middle of the ranges in open postings, so the two measure different things: pay for open jobs versus pay for everyone already employed.
Posted pay by kind of job in Irvine
Kind of job
Median posted pay
Postings with pay
Software developers
$203,500
40
Software engineering
$155,000
12
Engineering (other)
$150,000
34
Operations and logistics
$130,500
18
Product and design
$127,500
13
Sales
$77,500
20
Kinds of job are grouped by title wording. Pay is the midpoint of the range in the posting, annualized for hourly postings.
Who is hiring, by industry
Industry
Postings
Manufacturing & Industrial
305
Healthcare & Life Sciences
102
Software & Technology
82
Media & Entertainment
51
Energy & Utilities
40
Consulting & Professional Services
34
Real Estate & Construction
33
Retail & E-commerce
25
Financial Services
17
Other
17
Employers with the most openings
Andurilindustries: 135 postings
Rivianvw: 60 postings
Terranorbitalcorporation: 29 postings
Stryker: 28 postings
Revelyst: 23 postings
What applications ask in Irvine
Among 164 application forms we read: 27.4% ask applicants for a salary expectation, 74.4% ask about visa sponsorship, 74.4% include the equal-opportunity section, and 0.6% carry an AI-use notice. Question wording only; no applicant answers are ever collected.
What your paycheck buys here
Prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area run 14% above the national average, and housing runs 70% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $56,000, which is worth $49,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $157,500 is worth $138,500.
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)
Postings that list several cities count in each one. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Irvine. Methodology · All cities (CSV)
