The average salary for a software engineer in the United States is around $92,824 per year.
Avg Salary
Software engineers earn an average yearly salary of $92,824.
Wages typically start from $55,236 and go up to $155,991.
52% above national average Updated in 2018
Software engineer earnings by seniority
Top-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$75.00 per hour
$155,991 per year
Senior-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$58.65 per hour
$121,986 per year
Mid-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$44.63 per hour
$92,824 per year
Junior-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$33.96 per hour
$70,633 per year
Starting level software engineer earnings begin at:
$26.56 per hour
$55,236 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Software engineer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $98,030 |
| Utah | $97,230 |
| Minnesota | $96,750 |
| Rhode Island | $96,730 |
| Pennsylvania | $96,370 |
| Vermont | $95,010 |
| Arizona | $93,279 |
| Florida | $92,620 |
| Missouri | $91,820 |
| Ohio | $91,280 |
| Indiana | $90,787 |
| Alabama | $90,259 |
| Iowa | $89,516 |
| Tennessee | $88,910 |
| Michigan | $87,880 |
| South Carolina | $87,170 |
| Maine | $87,150 |
| Nebraska | $87,110 |
| Idaho | $86,162 |
| Kentucky | $85,788 |
| Kansas | $85,310 |
| Oklahoma | $84,900 |
| Wisconsin | $84,480 |
| Hawaii | $82,807 |
| Arkansas | $81,856 |
| Montana | $80,900 |
| New Mexico | $80,900 |
| Illinois | $80,725 |
| Louisiana | $79,750 |
| Mississippi | $79,220 |
| North Dakota | $77,340 |
| West Virginia | $77,310 |
| South Dakota | $72,720 |
| Wyoming | $66,060 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,540 |
| Washington | $128,200 |
| California | $123,040 |
| New York | $113,802 |
| District of Columbia | $113,750 |
| Virginia | $109,740 |
| Massachusetts | $109,130 |
| Maryland | $108,850 |
| New Hampshire | $108,650 |
| Texas | $108,490 |
| New Jersey | $107,640 |
| Colorado | $104,980 |
| Nevada | $102,380 |
| Delaware | $101,680 |
| Georgia | $100,820 |
| North Carolina | $100,560 |
| Connecticut | $100,150 |
| Oregon | $100,080 |
How much does a Software Engineer earn?
A software engineer’s average salary, $99,530, is higher than most other technology occupations. For example, a software engineer makes thousands more than computer systems analysts, who made an average salary of $87,320 in 2014, and computer programmers, who made about $82,690. However, software engineers made about $36,750 less than IT managers, who brought home an average salary of $136,280.
According to GlassDoor.com, which gathered information from over 15,000 software engineers, the national average entry level software engineer salary is $55,000. Some companies start software engineers out below that number – as low as $50,000 – and some start software engineers out significantly higher than that, even as high as $91,000 annually.
You can expect your salary to increase as you gain experience with an organization. On average, software engineers max out on average at $124,000 nationwide, but many companies pay experienced software engineers much more than that.
Non-profit organizations, companies in early start-up phases, and very small companies tend to offer less in compensation and benefits, while companies like Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Amazon in growing tech hubs such as Seattle, San Francisco and LA tend to offer full benefits along with beyond competitive salaries. The highest paid in the software engineering profession work in the areas of San Jose, California, San Francisco, and Seattle. The Baltimore area also pays well, as does the city of Santa Rosa, California.
How do software engineer salaries compare to similar careers?
Software engineers earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than geospatial information scientists but more than wind energy engineers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Geospatial information scientist salary | $90K |
| Software quality assurance engineer salary | $90K |
| Video game designer salary | $90K |
| Database architect salary | $90K |
| Electrical engineer salary | $97K |
| Software engineer salary | $93K |
| Nanosystems engineer salary | $97K |
| Nanotechnology engineer salary | $97K |
| Photonics engineer salary | $97K |
| Wind energy engineer salary | $97K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)