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This question is about software engineer salaries.
What is a good starting salary for a Software Engineer?
A good starting salary for a software engineer is $70,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a software engineer in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for software engineers is $95,642, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a software engineer can vary by state, as we show below.
What Is A Good Entry-Level Software Engineer Salary By State?
The following table shows how much an entry level software engineer earns in each state. Zippia used data from the BLS, public records, and job postings to create these estimates.
| State | Starting Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| California | $90,000 | $7,500 | $1,730 | $43.27 |
| Washington | $86,000 | $7,166 | $1,653 | $41.35 |
| Oregon | $73,000 | $6,083 | $1,403 | $35.1 |
| New York | $72,000 | $6,000 | $1,384 | $34.62 |
| Nevada | $70,000 | $5,833 | $1,346 | $33.65 |
| Massachusetts | $67,000 | $5,583 | $1,288 | $32.21 |
| District of Columbia | $66,000 | $5,500 | $1,269 | $31.73 |
| Vermont | $65,000 | $5,416 | $1,250 | $31.25 |
| New Hampshire | $65,000 | $5,416 | $1,250 | $31.25 |
| Delaware | $64,000 | $5,333 | $1,230 | $30.77 |
| New Jersey | $64,000 | $5,333 | $1,230 | $30.77 |
| Connecticut | $64,000 | $5,333 | $1,230 | $30.77 |
| Maryland | $64,000 | $5,333 | $1,230 | $30.77 |
| Arizona | $63,000 | $5,250 | $1,211 | $30.29 |
| Rhode Island | $63,000 | $5,250 | $1,211 | $30.29 |
| Virginia | $63,000 | $5,250 | $1,211 | $30.29 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,000 | $5,166 | $1,192 | $29.81 |
| Idaho | $61,000 | $5,083 | $1,173 | $29.33 |
| North Carolina | $61,000 | $5,083 | $1,173 | $29.33 |
| Maine | $61,000 | $5,083 | $1,173 | $29.33 |
| Texas | $60,000 | $5,000 | $1,153 | $28.85 |
| Montana | $59,000 | $4,916 | $1,134 | $28.37 |
| Louisiana | $59,000 | $4,916 | $1,134 | $28.37 |
| Georgia | $58,000 | $4,833 | $1,115 | $27.88 |
| Utah | $57,000 | $4,750 | $1,096 | $27.4 |
| North Dakota | $57,000 | $4,750 | $1,096 | $27.4 |
| Michigan | $57,000 | $4,750 | $1,096 | $27.4 |
| Ohio | $57,000 | $4,750 | $1,096 | $27.4 |
| Illinois | $57,000 | $4,750 | $1,096 | $27.4 |
| Minnesota | $56,000 | $4,666 | $1,076 | $26.92 |
| West Virginia | $56,000 | $4,666 | $1,076 | $26.92 |
| South Carolina | $56,000 | $4,666 | $1,076 | $26.92 |
| Arkansas | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Indiana | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Wisconsin | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Mississippi | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Kentucky | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Tennessee | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Alaska | $55,000 | $4,583 | $1,057 | $26.44 |
| Alabama | $54,000 | $4,500 | $1,038 | $25.96 |
| Iowa | $53,000 | $4,416 | $1,019 | $25.48 |
| New Mexico | $52,000 | $4,333 | $1,000 | $25.0 |
| Florida | $52,000 | $4,333 | $1,000 | $25.0 |
| Nebraska | $51,000 | $4,250 | $980 | $24.52 |
| Kansas | $51,000 | $4,250 | $980 | $24.52 |
| Missouri | $51,000 | $4,250 | $980 | $24.52 |
| Hawaii | $51,000 | $4,250 | $980 | $24.52 |
| Oklahoma | $51,000 | $4,250 | $980 | $24.52 |
| Colorado | $50,000 | $4,166 | $961 | $24.04 |
| South Dakota | $48,000 | $4,000 | $923 | $23.08 |
| Wyoming | $47,000 | $3,916 | $903 | $22.6 |
What are The 10 Highest Paying Cities for Entry-Level Software Engineer Jobs?
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an entry level software engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Francisco, CA.
| City | Starting Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| San Francisco, CA | $108,000 | $9,000 | $2,076 | $51.92 |
| Bellevue, WA | $100,000 | $8,333 | $1,923 | $48.08 |
| Albany, OR | $85,000 | $7,083 | $1,634 | $40.87 |
| New York, NY | $81,000 | $6,750 | $1,557 | $38.94 |
| Boston, MA | $76,000 | $6,333 | $1,461 | $36.54 |
| Washington, DC | $74,000 | $6,166 | $1,423 | $35.58 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $73,000 | $6,083 | $1,403 | $35.1 |
| Dover, NH | $73,000 | $6,083 | $1,403 | $35.1 |
| Jersey City, NJ | $72,000 | $6,000 | $1,384 | $34.62 |
| Dover, DE | $72,000 | $6,000 | $1,384 | $34.62 |
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