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Microsoft salaries
Microsoft salary estimate
$131,100yearly
Microsoft Salary Overview
In 2025, the average salary at Microsoft is approximately $131,100. This figure reflects a competitive compensation structure that varies by role, location, and experience level. Key positions such as software engineers and product managers typically command higher salaries, often exceeding $150,000 annually. For example, top engineering roles can reach even higher compensation levels due to the demand for specialized skills.
Salary by Location
Microsoft salaries also differ by geographic location. For instance, employees in tech hubs like Seattle and San Francisco may earn significantly more than those in other regions. Understanding these variations can help candidates negotiate better offers.
Departmental Insights
Within the company, engineering and technology departments generally offer the highest salaries. Business roles, while still competitive, often fall slightly below these figures. Reviewing average salaries by department can provide a clearer picture of compensation trends at Microsoft.
Highest paying jobs at Microsoft
The highest paying jobs at Microsoft are researcher, senior project manager, solutions architect, and program manager. Researcher jobs at Microsoft earn an average yearly salary of $150,120, Microsoft senior project manager jobs average $143,976, and Microsoft solutions architect jobs average $142,578.
The lowest paying Microsoft roles include systems administrator and product advisor. Microsoft systems administrator average salary is $108,754 per year. So while the average Microsoft salary is $131,100 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Microsoft
| Rank | Job title | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Researcher | $150,120 | $72.17 |
| 2 | Senior Project Manager | $143,976 | $69.22 |
| 3 | Solutions Architect | $142,578 | $68.55 |
| 4 | Program Manager | $140,450 | $67.52 |
| 5 | Data Scientist | $138,764 | $66.71 |
| 6 | Designer | $130,454 | $62.72 |
| 7 | Software Development Engineer | $129,203 | $62.12 |
| 8 | Software Engineer | $128,196 | $61.63 |
| 9 | Solution Specialist | $123,995 | $59.61 |
| 10 | Computer Systems Analyst | $122,211 | $58.76 |
| 11 | Business Analyst | $121,266 | $58.30 |
| 12 | Senior Consultant | $120,508 | $57.94 |
| 13 | Product Advisor | $116,290 | $55.91 |
| 14 | Systems Administrator | $108,755 | $52.29 |
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Average Microsoft salary by state
Microsoft pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $147,658 | $70.99 |
| 2 | Washington | $146,546 | $70.45 |
| 3 | Oregon | $128,810 | $61.93 |
| 4 | New York | $124,307 | $59.76 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $120,685 | $58.02 |
| 6 | Utah | $118,597 | $57.02 |
| 7 | Arizona | $118,416 | $56.93 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $116,118 | $55.83 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $114,571 | $55.08 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $113,482 | $54.56 |
| 11 | Texas | $111,328 | $53.52 |
| 12 | Colorado | $110,604 | $53.18 |
| 13 | Maryland | $110,290 | $53.02 |
| 14 | Virginia | $110,073 | $52.92 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $109,008 | $52.41 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $104,360 | $50.17 |
| 17 | Georgia | $103,796 | $49.90 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $100,949 | $48.53 |
| 19 | Michigan | $100,897 | $48.51 |
| 20 | Florida | $100,872 | $48.50 |
How much does Microsoft pay by location?
Highest paying Microsoft locations
| Rank | Location | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain View, CA | $152,775 | $73.45 |
| 2 | Redmond, WA | $146,880 | $70.62 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $124,459 | $59.84 |
| 4 | Cambridge, MA | $120,688 | $58.02 |
| 5 | Tempe, AZ | $118,309 | $56.88 |
| 6 | Iselin, NJ | $116,041 | $55.79 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $113,443 | $54.54 |
| 8 | Irving, TX | $111,293 | $53.51 |
| 9 | Reston, VA | $110,836 | $53.29 |
| 10 | Chevy Chase, MD | $109,965 | $52.87 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $103,673 | $49.84 |
| 12 | Charlotte, NC | $103,521 | $49.77 |
| 13 | Detroit, MI | $101,247 | $48.68 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $100,290 | $48.22 |
| 15 | Edina, MN | $97,949 | $47.09 |
| 16 | Fargo, ND | $97,560 | $46.90 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $96,925 | $46.60 |
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Microsoft salaries by department
Salaries at Microsoft vary depending on the department you work in. Microsoft salaries in the research & development department are the highest with an average salary of $137,873. Employees in the non profit/government department at Microsoft receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $137,582 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Microsoft include the customer service and the finance organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $111,197 and $120,206, respectively.
Average Microsoft salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research & Development | $137,873 | $66.29 |
| 2 | Non Profit/Government | $137,582 | $66.15 |
| 3 | Business Development | $132,840 | $63.87 |
| 4 | Marketing | $132,647 | $63.77 |
| 5 | Engineering | $130,935 | $62.95 |
| 6 | IT | $127,925 | $61.50 |
| 7 | Art/Design | $123,408 | $59.33 |
| 8 | Finance | $120,206 | $57.79 |
| 9 | Customer Service | $111,198 | $53.46 |
How much does Microsoft pay by department?
Best paying Microsoft engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Leader | $162,368 | $78.06 |
| 2 | Senior Project Manager | $143,976 | $69.22 |
| 3 | Data Scientist | $138,764 | $66.71 |
| 4 | Software Development Engineer | $129,203 | $62.12 |
| 5 | Software Engineer | $128,196 | $61.63 |
Best paying Microsoft non profit/government salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director Program Management | $162,085 | $77.93 |
| 2 | Program Manager | $140,450 | $67.52 |
| 3 | Service Delivery Manager | $121,090 | $58.22 |
Best paying Microsoft IT salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Microsoft salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director, Applications | $169,621 | $81.55 |
| 2 | Senior Project Manager | $143,976 | $69.22 |
| 3 | Solutions Architect | $142,578 | $68.55 |
| 4 | Lead Data Architect | $140,759 | $67.67 |
| 5 | Information Technology Project Manager | $138,579 | $66.62 |
| 6 | Computer Systems Analyst | $122,211 | $58.76 |
| 7 | Technical Specialist | $122,152 | $58.73 |
| 8 | Network Engineer | $118,116 | $56.79 |
| 9 | Product Advisor | $116,290 | $55.91 |
| 10 | Technical Advisor | $109,588 | $52.69 |
| 11 | Systems Administrator | $108,755 | $52.29 |
| 12 | Senior Support Engineer | $106,918 | $51.40 |
| 13 | Network Technician | $103,131 | $49.58 |
| 14 | Computer Support Specialist | $96,271 | $46.28 |
| 15 | Data Center Technician | $71,286 | $34.27 |
Microsoft competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Microsoft competitors, like Meta, Google, and NVIDIA, vary. Meta employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $155,739. The average salary at Google is $140,774 per year, and the average salary at NVIDIA is $138,575 per year.
Highest paying Microsoft competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | 4.8 | $155,739 |
| 2 | 4.8 | $140,774 | |
| 3 | NVIDIA | 4.9 | $138,575 |
| 4 | 4.8 | $135,189 | |
| 5 | VMware | 4.8 | $126,075 |
| 6 | Cisco | 4.8 | $123,536 |
| 7 | Adobe | 4.8 | $119,996 |
| 8 | Salesforce | 4.8 | $114,753 |
| 9 | Sophos | 4.8 | $112,327 |
| 10 | Amd | 4.9 | $109,546 |
| 11 | Box | 4.6 | $108,057 |
| 12 | HP | 4.9 | $102,566 |
| 13 | Oracle | 4.6 | $101,392 |
| 14 | Dell | 4.8 | $98,219 |
| 15 | Red Hat | 4.6 | $95,515 |
| 16 | Intel | 4.7 | $94,208 |
| 17 | IBM | 4.7 | $86,845 |
| 18 | Cognizant | 4.6 | $84,395 |
| 19 | Northrop Grumman | 4.7 | $77,399 |
| 20 | Lockheed Martin | 4.8 | $75,771 |
Recently added Microsoft salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Engineer | Portland, OR | 06/28/2025 | $188,000 |
| Senior Security Engineer-MAI Data, Privacy, and Security, Microsoft AI-Copilot | Mountain View, CA | 06/28/2025 | $158,400 |
| Principal Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/28/2025 | $188,000 |
| Data Center Program Manager | Boydton, VA | 06/28/2025 | $109,800 |
| Principal Security Assurance Engineering Manager | Redmond, WA | 06/28/2025 | $220,800 |
What employees say about salary at Microsoft
culture and true hybrid and work remote
underpaying longer term employees
there are so many
honest interactions, owning decisions and willing to take risks and always looking to the future
right sizing compensation
research, reviewing my history and experience
likely low average
we have good representatives
my coworkers and creating new things
Excellent 401k match, lots of team meetings and support
Lots of meetings and way more support than you need
Unlimited PTO
The staff is really nice and trustworthy
Layoff’s
Flexible schedule to accommodate your family schedule
Lots of opportunities to learn and advance. Great benefits, great pay. Good team atmosphere.
Lots of hours, very few days off. Not a great place for people with families.
great job always doing more
can be a very liberal environment
salary bonus and benefits
flexibility and opportunities
transition between work
health care and work balance
It is overall fun and I get to learn a lot of things like computers
They dont pay as much
To learn more about computers
Culture, great people and work life balance
Your manager can determine your faith at the company
Salary
I learned a lot
Due to COVID, I had to work from home, but excited to be back at the office soon
Tuition Assistance
Culture
Growth pace , Less options for relocation
HEalth care and Education
Bleeding edge technology and lot of opportunities
Big company bureaucracy
New learnings
Amazing innovative thoughts, which makes me feel better about myself and my family...
Monthly bonus
The pace of work and sense of belonging.
The processes were sometimes longer than necessary.
working from home
Challenging work with smart people, good pay and benefits
Frequent deadlines!
Great health insurance and cafeterias!
It was easy and the people were nice.
It was cramped and the boss was mean.
I had a reserved spot and free food.
I used to work at home
the pay wasn't good
saved time and gas by working at home
Free drinks and fruit on one day of the week, most people are great to work with when accomplishing their goals.
People will cut your position if an Indian from India can replace you at a lower wage... even from way across the United States. Software Development Engineers don't like to work with you when it comes to dashboards, give you misinformation on creating or differ from what the management wants, leaving you with ambiguous instructions. Some PM's micromanage you and tell you to write an email of what you accomplished, when others are not required to do so... making you think you are being singled out. They put people into positions where they truly do not know what they are doing on the data structures and have no idea about Business Intelligence concepts/techniques. Contracting company is only interested in getting you in on a low wage, so they can keep more of the contract money. Please note that the American companies pay the highest wages with benefits. Others may not give you any benefits and a low wage.
Free coffee and drinks! Learning Kusto or Cosmos... but these are only used at Microsoft anyway!
• Great salary & benefits • Friendly community • Many teams and projects • Software reaches billions
• Huge company with management politics • Projects are very refined in scope
• As an intern, I got a rental car & lived in a studio hotel apartment for the summer!
Benefits, flexibility, remote access
Long hours
Flex time, travel, planning,
Lots of employee benefits. Good health care and pay. Community events.
Administration is sometimes dominated by program managers and not engineers.
Free soda!
Microsoft values its employees. The culture also shifted in recent years from super individual competitor to making others successful and teamwork, which reduced the stress level at work to low and I had the opportunity to learn new things. Work pressure is definetely on the higher side. Expectations are also too high. Lot of opportunities for challenging projects.
Microsoft has always been known as a company that requires a lot of hard work. The work-life balance is great.No work-life balance, and huge pressure to transform and deliver today, I do not have anything like this
Be your best with programs and benefits designed to boost your health, both physically and mentally.best thing is company will help you find the resources you need to expand your knowledge on a variety of topics, stay current in your field, and continue to learn as your career progresses.
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Microsoft, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Microsoft. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Microsoft. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Microsoft. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Microsoft and its employees or that of Zippia.
Microsoft may also be known as or be related to MICROSOFT CORP, Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation and Microsoft Romania SRL.