Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · CBSA 42660
Software Engineer Salary in Seattle
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Washington and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Seattle earn a median of $169,340 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $136,010–$211,590; the top 10% earn at least $239,200. That is 27% above the national median and 1% above the Washington median. BLS reports 72,730 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$169,340
+27% vs national
Top 10% earn
≥$239,200
BLS topcodes at this level
Employed in metro
72,730
Reliability High (4.2% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Seattle vs Washington vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $105,060 | +32% |
| 25th percentile | $136,010 | +32% |
| Median50th percentile | $169,340 | +27% |
| 75th percentile | $211,590 | +25% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | ≥$239,200 | +13% |
| Meanaverage | $181,040 | +25% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Seattle
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
3.25
Jobs per 1,000
34.92
Metro rank (pay)
#3 of 381
All engineering roles
$156,767
At a location quotient of 3.25, Seattle is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 3.3× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Seattle?
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Where does Seattle rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →