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Project engineer/software engineer salary
Average project engineer/software engineer salary
$118,877
Average Project Engineer/Software Engineer Salary
The average salary for Project Engineers and Software Engineers is currently $118,877 per year. This figure reflects a competitive compensation package that varies by location, industry, and level of experience.
How Much Does a Project Engineer/Software Engineer Make?
In general, entry-level positions may start around $80,000, while experienced professionals can earn upwards of $150,000. Understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for making informed career decisions.
Where Can a Project Engineer/Software Engineer Earn More?
Geographic location plays a significant role in salary variations. Cities like San Francisco and New York typically offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for tech talent. States such as California and Washington also rank among the highest paying for these roles.
Average Project Engineer/Software Engineer Salary by State
Different states present varying salary brackets. For instance, California leads with average earnings exceeding $130,000, while states like Texas and Florida offer competitive but lower averages.
Highest Paying Cities for Project Engineers/Software Engineers
When considering location, cities such as San Jose, Seattle, and Austin consistently rank as top earners in the field, highlighting the importance of strategic career choices.
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Where can a Project Engineer/Software Engineer earn more?
Average project engineer/software engineer salary by state
The average project engineer/software engineer salary in California, Washington, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project engineer/software engineer salary states are Louisiana, North Dakota, and Illinois.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project engineer/software engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $146,728 | $70.54 |
| 2 | California | $147,539 | $70.93 |
| 3 | Utah | $127,100 | $61.11 |
| 4 | Vermont | $118,650 | $57.04 |
| 5 | Oregon | $120,678 | $58.02 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $121,108 | $58.23 |
| 7 | Texas | $126,783 | $60.95 |
| 8 | New York | $127,617 | $61.35 |
| 9 | Delaware | $116,361 | $55.94 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $113,867 | $54.74 |
| 11 | Arizona | $121,215 | $58.28 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $114,041 | $54.83 |
| 13 | Colorado | $116,988 | $56.24 |
| 14 | Ohio | $110,680 | $53.21 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $110,038 | $52.90 |
| 16 | Virginia | $111,166 | $53.45 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $111,163 | $53.44 |
| 18 | Maryland | $110,271 | $53.01 |
| 19 | Nevada | $107,160 | $51.52 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $107,237 | $51.56 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $108,826 | $52.32 |
| 22 | Idaho | $105,849 | $50.89 |
| 23 | Iowa | $107,191 | $51.53 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $111,556 | $53.63 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $107,870 | $51.86 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $106,980 | $51.43 |
| 27 | Montana | $105,928 | $50.93 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $104,980 | $50.47 |
| 29 | Maine | $104,445 | $50.21 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $105,658 | $50.80 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $108,205 | $52.02 |
| 32 | Alaska | $111,321 | $53.52 |
| 33 | Florida | $108,583 | $52.20 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $106,809 | $51.35 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $99,029 | $47.61 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $103,226 | $49.63 |
| 37 | Michigan | $99,887 | $48.02 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $99,446 | $47.81 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $101,704 | $48.90 |
| 40 | Georgia | $105,809 | $50.87 |
| 41 | Missouri | $100,142 | $48.15 |
| 42 | Indiana | $98,250 | $47.24 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $105,213 | $50.58 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $93,086 | $44.75 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $99,603 | $47.89 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $85,257 | $40.99 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $99,240 | $47.71 |
| 48 | Kansas | $91,314 | $43.90 |
| 49 | Alabama | $91,059 | $43.78 |
| 50 | Illinois | $91,595 | $44.04 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $94,348 | $45.36 |
Highest paying cities for project engineer/software engineers
The highest-paying cities for project engineer/software engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Austin, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $156,126 | $75.06 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $148,041 | $71.17 |
| 3 | Austin, TX | $128,106 | $61.59 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $127,913 | $61.50 |
| 5 | Tucson, AZ | $120,059 | $57.72 |
| 6 | Westminster, CO | $116,906 | $56.20 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | $111,943 | $53.82 |
| 8 | Shelton, CT | $111,687 | $53.70 |
| 9 | Annapolis, MD | $110,457 | $53.10 |
| 10 | Jupiter, FL | $109,374 | $52.58 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $109,330 | $52.56 |
| 12 | Dayton, OH | $108,665 | $52.24 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $105,346 | $50.65 |
| 14 | Milwaukee, WI | $101,863 | $48.97 |
| 15 | Warren, MI | $100,316 | $48.23 |
| 16 | Indianapolis, IN | $97,863 | $47.05 |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | $91,833 | $44.15 |
Project engineer/software engineer salary details
A project engineer/software engineer's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $156,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project engineer/software engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| Average | $118,877 | $9,906 | $57 |
| 25th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
Highest paying project engineer/software engineer jobs
The highest paying types of project engineer/software engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Design Engineer | $98,799 | $8,233 | $47.50 | 315,080 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
Top companies hiring project engineer/software engineers now:
Which companies pay project engineer/software engineers the most?
Project engineer/software engineer salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project engineer/software engineer salary at companies like In-Q-Tel and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $179,951 | $86.51 |
| 2 | $161,293 | $77.54 | |
| 3 | In-Q-Tel | $145,425 | $69.92 |
| 4 | Amazon | $144,013 | $69.24 |
| 5 | Motion Recruitment | $131,705 | $63.32 |
| 6 | Navistar | $130,043 | $62.52 |
| 7 | HIROTEC AMERICA | $128,454 | $61.76 |
| 8 | Persado | $128,038 | $61.56 |
| 9 | Honeywell | $127,321 | $61.21 |
| 10 | Aptiv | $127,052 | $61.08 |
| 11 | CNH Industrial | $127,052 | $61.08 |
| 12 | Pas | $127,052 | $61.08 |
| 13 | Itential | $127,052 | $61.08 |
| 14 | Arrive Logistics | $126,862 | $60.99 |
| 15 | Markem-Imaje | $126,797 | $60.96 |
| 16 | Faith Technologies, Inc. | $126,707 | $60.92 |
| 17 | Hexagon Lincoln | $126,139 | $60.64 |
| 18 | KBR | $124,621 | $59.91 |
| 19 | TechnipFMC | $121,115 | $58.23 |
| 20 | Stellartech Research | $117,493 | $56.49 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project engineer/software engineer salary trends
The average project engineer/software engineer salary has risen by $22,069 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project engineer/software engineer earned $96,808 annually, but today, they earn $118,877 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for project engineer/software engineers over the last decade.
Compare project engineer/software engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project engineer/software engineer salary over time
Compare project engineer/software engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project engineer/software engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $119,000 | $57.15 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $115,000 | $55.27 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $112,000 | $54.02 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $110,000 | $53.06 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $109,000 | $52.17 | +1.8% |
Recently added project engineer/software engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Autonomy Software Project Engineer II-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $96,310 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Software DEV Engineer, Project Kuiper | Redmond, WA | 06/25/2025 | $129,300 |
| Perplexity Ai | Full Stack Software Engineer-Special Projects | San Francisco, CA | 06/17/2025 | $180,000 |
| Project Kuiper | Software DEV Engineer II, Project Kuiper | Redmond, WA | 06/15/2025 | $129,300 |
| Apple | Software Engineer, Simulation-Special Projects | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/12/2025 | $175,800 |
| S&C Minimal | Software Project Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/10/2025 | $94,100 |
| Amazon | Software DEV Engineer II, Project Kuiper | Redmond, WA | 05/22/2025 | $129,300 |
| Perplexity Ai | Full Stack Software Engineer-Special Projects | San Francisco, CA | 05/17/2025 | $180,000 |
| Apple | Software Engineer, Simulation-Special Projects | Sunnyvale, CA | 05/16/2025 | $121,900 |
| S&C Minimal | Software Project Engineer | Chicago, IL | 05/16/2025 | $94,100 |
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