The average salary for a software engineer in the United States is around $135,980 per year.
Avg Salary
Software engineers earn an average yearly salary of $135,980.
Wages typically start from $82,460 and go up to $214,670.
115% above national average Updated in 2025
Software engineer earnings by seniority
Top-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$103.21 per hour
$214,670 per year
Senior-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$82.68 per hour
$171,980 per year
Mid-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$65.38 per hour
$135,980 per year
Junior-level software engineer earnings begin at:
$50.58 per hour
$105,210 per year
Starting level software engineer earnings begin at:
$39.64 per hour
$82,460 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Software engineer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $98,030 |
| South Dakota | $96,310 |
| Mississippi | $95,330 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,540 |
| California | $174,410 |
| Washington | $166,540 |
| New York | $166,180 |
| Massachusetts | $165,210 |
| Oregon | $142,720 |
| New Hampshire | $139,720 |
| Maryland | $138,680 |
| Colorado | $138,390 |
| District of Columbia | $136,880 |
| Virginia | $136,460 |
| New Jersey | $135,940 |
| North Carolina | $134,710 |
| Connecticut | $134,120 |
| Delaware | $133,020 |
| Texas | $132,150 |
| Illinois | $132,110 |
| Idaho | $131,590 |
| Georgia | $131,010 |
| Florida | $130,980 |
| Rhode Island | $130,590 |
| Minnesota | $130,050 |
| Arizona | $129,690 |
| South Carolina | $129,450 |
| Nevada | $128,810 |
| Utah | $128,810 |
| Pennsylvania | $126,550 |
| Missouri | $126,120 |
| Michigan | $125,570 |
| Vermont | $125,280 |
| New Mexico | $124,520 |
| Hawaii | $124,040 |
| Maine | $123,120 |
| Wisconsin | $122,660 |
| Alabama | $122,540 |
| Tennessee | $122,430 |
| Montana | $121,990 |
| West Virginia | $121,000 |
| Oklahoma | $118,100 |
| Wyoming | $115,170 |
| Iowa | $114,890 |
| Ohio | $114,090 |
| Kansas | $113,420 |
| Nebraska | $110,900 |
| Kentucky | $109,010 |
| Indiana | $105,920 |
| North Dakota | $105,600 |
| Arkansas | $104,490 |
| Louisiana | $102,800 |
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 petroleum engineers but more than information security analysts.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Petroleum engineer salary | $145K |
| Computer scientist salary | $140K |
| Computer and information research scientist salary | $140K |
| Software engineer salary | $136K |
| Aerospace engineer salary | $135K |
| Nuclear engineer salary | $134K |
| Network architect salary | $134K |
| Information security analyst salary | $129K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)