Can you make 100k as a software engineer?

A software engineer just starting earns an average of $107,510 a year. However, someone just starting should only expect to earn around $93,000 a year. However, after 1 to 2 years, that number goes up to $96,000, and after 4 to 5 years, they average around $107,000. After ten years, a software engineer earns over $125,000 a year.

If you live in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, or Washington, you can expect early to mid-career software engineers to earn over $100k.

There are many different avenues software engineers can take. Some of the most lucrative are specializing in a particular aspect of software development like mobile development (average $120k a year), backend software engineering ($120k a year), or DevOps software engineering ($125k a year).

Working for a large company like Google or Facebook will most likely earn you more than working at a small company or startup. An entry-level software engineer working at Google, Amazon, Tesla, Facebook, Stripe, Netflix, Salesforce, Airbnb, Twitter, or Microsoft will probably earn you closer to $100k starting.