Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · CBSA 26420
Software Engineer Salary in Houston
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Texas and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Houston earn a median of $127,940 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $97,740–$156,960; the top 10% earn $174,600. That is 4% below the national median and 2% below the Texas median. BLS reports 20,830 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$127,940
-4% vs national
Top 10% earn
$174,600
90th percentile
Employed in metro
20,830
Reliability Good (5.3% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Houston vs Texas vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $78,170 | -2% |
| 25th percentile | $97,740 | -5% |
| Median50th percentile | $127,940 | -4% |
| 75th percentile | $156,960 | -7% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $174,600 | -17% |
| Meanaverage | $128,060 | -11% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Houston
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
0.60
Jobs per 1,000
6.42
Metro rank (pay)
#69 of 381
All engineering roles
$123,124
At a location quotient of 0.60, this occupation is thinner on the ground in Houston than nationally. Pay can still be competitive, but the local employer pool is smaller.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Houston?
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Where does Houston rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →