Software Engineer salary

Q: How much does a software engineer make?

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $133,080 per year. Most software engineers earn between $79,850 and $211,450, and top earners (90th percentile) make $211,450 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 $104,000 per year, rising to roughly $143,500 at mid-level and $179,500+ 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 $133,080 is 11% above the roughly $120,395 median across engineering occupations, and experienced software engineers can earn $211,450 or more.

Q: Which cities pay software engineers the most?

Estimated software engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($208,270), San Francisco ($174,910), Seattle ($169,340). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

Verified

Updated March 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

$133,080

U.S. typical

Top earners

$211,450

90th percentile

Entry level

$104,000

0–2 yrs

Senior

$179,500

15+ yrs

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $133,080 per year. Entry-level pay starts near $79,850, while top earners (90th percentile) make $211,450 or more. Add your city and experience for a sharper, local number.

Median annual wage

$133,080

Mean

$144,570

10th pct · $79,85090th pct · $211,450

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 $104,000 for entry level engineers to $179,500+ at the principal / staff level.

Entry level 0–2 yrs

$104,000

Early career 3–5 yrs

$125,000

Mid level 6–9 yrs

$143,500

Senior 10–14 yrs

$162,500

Principal / Staff 15+ yrs

$179,500

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

Highest-paying cities for software engineers

Published software engineer pay in the top-paying U.S. metro areas, vs the national benchmark.

15results

Metro	State	Median	90th pct	vs U.S.	Data
San Jose California	CA	$208,270	$239,200	+56%	Verified
San Francisco California	CA	$174,910	$239,200	+31%	Verified
Seattle Washington	WA	$169,340	$239,200	+27%	Verified
Santa Maria California	CA	$163,020	$213,440	+22%	Verified
New York City New York	NY	$161,970	$220,780	+22%	Verified
Boulder Colorado	CO	$159,670	$239,200	+20%	Verified
San Diego California	CA	$159,240	$212,100	+20%	Verified
Bridgeport Connecticut	CT	$157,540	$239,200	+18%	Verified
Los Angeles California	CA	$155,330	$210,600	+17%	Verified
Boston Massachusetts	MA	$154,240	$208,590	+16%	Verified
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia	DC	$150,880	$211,230	+13%	Verified
Portland Oregon	OR	$149,010	$211,750	+12%	Verified
Santa Rosa California	CA	$141,140	$203,830	+6%	Verified
Sacramento California	CA	$141,030	$210,460	+6%	Verified
Manchester New Hampshire	NH	$140,820	$199,390	+6%	Verified

Software Engineer salary by state

All 51 states with published software engineer wage data, ranked highest to lowest. Open a state for its full metro-level breakdown.

Rank	State	Median	90th pct
1	California	$170,910	≥$239,200
2	Washington	$166,910	≥$239,200
3	New York	$161,260	$223,480
4	Massachusetts	$150,520	$208,220
5	Maryland	$137,890	$218,190
6	District of Columbia	$136,040	$203,560
7	Oregon	$135,260	$211,750
8	Delaware	$135,160	$169,070
9	Colorado	$134,540	$210,760
10	Virginia	$134,470	$208,480
11	New Hampshire	$132,420	$199,160
12	New Jersey	$132,400	$205,420
13	North Carolina	$131,000	$173,660
14	Connecticut	$130,870	$203,160
15	Vermont	$130,720	$203,530
16	Texas	$130,500	$174,710
17	Nevada	$129,030	$203,840
18	Georgia	$128,920	$173,650
19	Arizona	$128,690	$186,280
20	Rhode Island	$128,660	$168,020
21	Illinois	$127,770	$172,020
22	Utah	$127,390	$176,990
23	Florida	$126,550	$174,030
24	Minnesota	$124,540	$166,910
25	Pennsylvania	$123,740	$167,290
26	New Mexico	$120,820	$179,270
27	Hawaii	$119,880	$194,220
28	Alaska	$119,600	$196,500
29	Tennessee	$117,340	$164,420
30	Nebraska	$116,420	$146,310
31	Missouri	$114,550	$163,270
32	Maine	$113,800	$170,700
33	Alabama	$113,020	$176,060
34	Wyoming	$112,590	$163,840
35	Iowa	$109,850	$169,200
36	South Carolina	$108,690	$179,670
37	Idaho	$107,900	$168,060
38	Michigan	$107,820	$161,850
39	Ohio	$107,690	$165,640
40	Oklahoma	$107,420	$167,040
41	Kansas	$106,660	$163,670
42	Kentucky	$106,200	$164,770
43	Indiana	$103,570	$151,450
44	West Virginia	$103,550	$160,660
45	Wisconsin	$103,360	$162,220
46	Louisiana	$102,290	$154,220
47	Montana	$100,190	$216,250
48	North Dakota	$98,550	$153,280
49	Arkansas	$96,820	$160,700
50	South Dakota	$87,770	$130,610
51	Mississippi	$86,460	$136,390

Figures are published state wage data, not modeled. States without published data for this occupation are not listed. See Source details for provenance.

Software Engineer salary — frequently asked questions

How much does a software engineer make?

The median software engineer salary in the U.S. is about $133,080 per year. Most software engineers earn between $79,850 and $211,450, and top earners (90th percentile) make $211,450 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 $211,450 or more nationally. In the highest-paying metros, estimated pay can run even higher — for example around $208,270 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 $104,000 per year, rising to roughly $143,500 at mid-level and $179,500+ 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 $133,080 is 11% above the roughly $120,395 median across engineering occupations, and experienced software engineers can earn $211,450 or more.

Which cities pay software engineers the most?

Estimated software engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($208,270), San Francisco ($174,910), and Seattle ($169,340). 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

Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), national.

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