Virginia · SOC 15-1252
Software Engineer Salary in Virginia
VerifiedPublished wages for software engineers in Virginia, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Software Engineers in Virginia earn a median of $134,470 per year ($142,230 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $105,550–$168,570; the top 10% earn $208,480. That is 1% above the national median of $133,080, ranking Virginia #10 of 51 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$134,470
+1% vs national
Top 10% earn
$208,480
90th percentile
Employed in state
83,290
Reliability High (3.4% RSE)
Software Engineer pay distribution — Virginia vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $82,560 | +3% |
| 25th percentile | $105,550 | +2% |
| Median50th percentile | $134,470 | +1% |
| 75th percentile | $168,570 | — |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $208,480 | -1% |
| Meanaverage | $142,230 | -2% |
Where software engineers earn most in Virginia
Metro areas in Virginia where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 15-1252. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $150,880 | $211,230 | 68,210 |
| RichmondRichmond, VA | $130,760 | $190,430 | 6,990 |
| WinchesterWinchester, VA-WV | $128,960 | $163,900 | 340 |
| CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, VA | $127,910 | $184,280 | 1,320 |
| Virginia BeachVirginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $125,930 | $173,820 | 6,740 |
| KingsportKingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | $114,540 | $170,530 | 440 |
| StauntonStaunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | $108,150 | $169,280 | 170 |
| BlacksburgBlacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | $103,110 | $151,330 | 580 |
| LynchburgLynchburg, VA | $102,530 | $163,060 | 660 |
| HarrisonburgHarrisonburg, VA | $99,900 | $168,010 | 230 |
| RoanokeRoanoke, VA | $99,700 | $157,230 | 840 |
Virginia engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.91
Jobs per 1,000
20.49
State rank (pay)
#10 of 51
All engineering roles
$126,416
A location quotient of 1.91 means Virginia employs software engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Virginia (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →