Software Engineer salary

Q: How much does a software engineer make?

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $132,270 per year. Most software engineers earn between $78,060 and $208,620, and top earners (90th percentile) make $208,620 or more. These national figures come from published U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS) wage data.

Q: How much do entry-level software engineers make?

Entry-level software engineers (0–2 years) earn about $103,000 per year, rising to roughly $143,000 at mid-level and $178,500+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Q: Do software engineers make good money?

Yes. The median software engineer salary of $132,270 is 14% above the roughly $116,537 median across engineering occupations, and experienced software engineers can earn $208,620 or more.

Q: Which cities pay software engineers the most?

Estimated software engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($195,760), San Francisco ($187,823), Seattle ($171,951). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

Verified

Updated January 2025

Software engineers design, build, and maintain the software systems, applications, and services that companies run on — from web and mobile apps to backend infrastructure.

Median pay

$132,270

U.S. typical

Top earners

$208,620

90th percentile

Entry level

$103,000

0–2 yrs

Senior

$178,500

15+ yrs

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $132,270 per year. Entry-level pay starts near $78,060, while top earners (90th percentile) make $208,620 or more. Add your city and experience for a sharper, local number.

Median annual wage

$132,270

Mean

$138,110

10th pct · $78,06090th pct · $208,620

What software engineers do

Design software architecture, write and review code, build APIs and services, and collaborate across product and infrastructure teams.

Software engineers design, build, and maintain the software systems, applications, and services that companies run on — from web and mobile apps to backend infrastructure.

What affects software engineer pay

▹Years of experience and seniority (junior → staff/principal)
▹Company type (Big Tech and trading firms pay well above median)
▹Equity and bonus, which can exceed base pay at senior levels
▹Metro cost of labor (SF Bay Area, Seattle, NYC pay a premium)
▹Specialization (ML, security, distributed systems)

Software Engineer salary by experience

Pay typically climbs from about $103,000 for entry level engineers to $178,500+ at the principal / staff level.

Entry level 0–2 yrs

$103,000

Early career 3–5 yrs

$124,500

Mid level 6–9 yrs

$143,000

Senior 10–14 yrs

$161,500

Principal / Staff 15+ yrs

$178,500

Your actual offer depends on company, location, and specialization — run the calculator for a tailored range.

Highest-paying cities for software engineers

Estimated software engineer pay in the top-paying metros, vs the national median.

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Metro	State	Median	90th pct	vs U.S.	Data
San Jose California	CA	$195,760	$308,758	+48%	Estimate
San Francisco California	CA	$187,823	$296,240	+42%	Estimate
Seattle Washington	WA	$171,951	$271,206	+30%	Estimate
New York City New York	NY	$166,660	$262,861	+26%	Estimate
Boston Massachusetts	MA	$161,369	$254,516	+22%	Estimate
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia	DC	$158,724	$250,344	+20%	Estimate
Los Angeles California	CA	$156,079	$246,172	+18%	Estimate
San Diego California	CA	$152,111	$239,913	+15%	Estimate

Software Engineer salary by state

State	Est. median	Est. 90th pct
California	$164,015	$258,689
Texas	$137,561	$216,965
New York	$150,788	$237,827
Washington	$156,079	$246,172
Massachusetts	$153,433	$241,999

State figures are estimates — open a state for its full city-by-city breakdown.

Software Engineer salary — frequently asked questions

How much does a software engineer make?

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $132,270 per year. Most software engineers earn between $78,060 and $208,620, and top earners (90th percentile) make $208,620 or more. These national figures come from published U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS) wage data.

What is the highest software engineer salary?

Top-earning software engineers (90th percentile) make about $208,620 or more nationally. In the highest-paying metros, estimated pay can run even higher — for example around $195,760 in San Jose. Metro figures are cost-of-labor estimates, not direct BLS metro data.

How much do entry-level software engineers make?

Entry-level software engineers (0–2 years) earn about $103,000 per year, rising to roughly $143,000 at mid-level and $178,500+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Do software engineers make good money?

Yes. The median software engineer salary of $132,270 is 14% above the roughly $116,537 median across engineering occupations, and experienced software engineers can earn $208,620 or more.

Which cities pay software engineers the most?

Estimated software engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($195,760), San Francisco ($187,823), and Seattle ($171,951). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

How can a software engineer earn more?

Software Engineer pay rises most with years of experience and seniority (junior → staff/principal), company type (big tech and trading firms pay well above median), and equity and bonus, which can exceed base pay at senior levels. Moving to a higher-cost metro, specializing, and taking on senior or lead scope are the biggest levers — the salary calculator lets you model each one.

Source details

National wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252. Median and 90th-percentile annual wages.

Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →