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Junior software engineer salary

Average junior software engineer salary

$77,904

$37.45 hourly rate

Entry-level junior software engineer salary
$59,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Junior Software Engineer Salaries

The average salary for a junior software engineer in the United States is currently $77,904 per year, translating to approximately $37 per hour. This salary is influenced by various factors including geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, junior software engineers in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York often command higher salaries compared to those in smaller markets.

Salary Variation by State

States such as California, Washington, and New York consistently show higher average salaries for junior software engineers. For example, California's tech industry offers competitive compensation packages that often exceed the national average. Understanding these differences can help prospective employees gauge their earning potential and make informed career decisions.

Highest Paying Industries

Industries such as finance, healthcare technology, and information technology are known for offering attractive salaries to junior software engineers. These sectors value technical skills and often provide additional benefits such as bonuses and stock options, enhancing overall compensation.

Conclusion

In summary, a junior software engineer's salary is shaped by various factors, making it crucial for job seekers to research specific opportunities. By understanding the salary landscape, candidates can better position themselves for successful negotiations and career advancement.

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Where can a Junior Software Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
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116k
96k
76k
56k
36k
Columbus, OH$97,473
Bellevue, NE$65,673
Compare salary by company
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138k
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Apple$122,756
Medicomp$88,173

Junior software engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a junior software engineer typically falls between $67,279 and $127,078.
zippia
$77,904yearly
glassdoor[1]
$127,078yearly
indeed[2]
$80,540yearly
comparably[3]
$87,093yearly
Salary.com[4]
$78,616yearly
ZipRecruiter[5]
$94,542yearly
payscale[6]
$67,279yearly

Average junior software engineer salary by state

The average junior software engineer salary in Connecticut, California, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average junior software engineer salary states are Mississippi, Utah, and Kansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for junior software engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Delaware$88,392$42.50
2Washington$88,623$42.61
3Connecticut$92,573$44.51
4California$90,134$43.33
5Rhode Island$77,939$37.47
6New Jersey$86,551$41.61
7District of Columbia$86,374$41.53
8Maine$79,314$38.13
9Massachusetts$78,597$37.79
10New York$84,330$40.54
11Oregon$77,432$37.23
12Virginia$77,731$37.37
13Nevada$79,588$38.26
14New Hampshire$75,899$36.49
15Pennsylvania$77,019$37.03
16Arizona$74,788$35.96
17Texas$74,196$35.67
18Michigan$72,302$34.76
19Maryland$75,784$36.43
20West Virginia$75,162$36.14
21Montana$72,069$34.65
22North Carolina$71,564$34.41
23Indiana$70,644$33.96
24Idaho$70,147$33.72
25Vermont$69,972$33.64
26Minnesota$71,302$34.28
27Wisconsin$71,208$34.23
28Oklahoma$71,671$34.46
29South Carolina$72,884$35.04
30Illinois$70,733$34.01
31Georgia$70,197$33.75
32Tennessee$69,770$33.54
33Arkansas$68,303$32.84
34Colorado$67,941$32.66
35Ohio$68,183$32.78
36Alabama$66,930$32.18
37Wyoming$65,156$31.32
38New Mexico$68,791$33.07
39North Dakota$66,515$31.98
40Utah$64,957$31.23
41Iowa$66,931$32.18
42Florida$67,772$32.58
43Kentucky$66,594$32.02
44Nebraska$65,493$31.49
45Kansas$63,164$30.37
46Missouri$65,770$31.62
47Mississippi$65,018$31.26
48Louisiana$65,191$31.34
49Alaska$61,050$29.35
50Hawaii$59,237$28.48
51South Dakota$59,659$28.68

Highest paying cities for junior software engineers

The highest-paying cities for junior software engineers are San Francisco, CA, Greenwich, CT, and Bellevue, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$97,473$46.86
2Greenwich, CT$92,686$44.56
3Bellevue, WA$89,623$43.09
4Wilmington, DE$88,446$42.52
5Washington, DC$86,370$41.52
6New York, NY$84,617$40.68
7Quincy, MA$78,665$37.82
8Arlington, VA$78,502$37.74
9Philadelphia, PA$77,571$37.29
10Annapolis, MD$75,962$36.52
11San Antonio, TX$75,084$36.10
12Raleigh, NC$72,470$34.84
13Chicago, IL$71,019$34.14
14Atlanta, GA$70,257$33.78
15Colorado Springs, CO$68,200$32.79
16Huntsville, AL$67,180$32.30
17Dayton, OH$66,966$32.20
18Bellevue, NE$65,673$31.57

Junior software engineer salary details

A junior software engineer's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $101,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average junior software engineer salary graph
Average junior software engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a junior software engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$101,000$8,417$49
75th Percentile$89,000$7,417$43
Average$77,904$6,492$37
25th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32
10th Percentile$59,000$4,917$28

Highest paying junior software engineer jobs

The highest paying types of junior software engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Software Analyst$78,400$6,533$37.69274,053
Software Programmer$71,612$5,968$34.43253,235
Software Developer$87,521$7,293$42.08294,329
Data Engineer$109,675$9,140$52.73303,105
Software Engineering Internship$47,164$3,930$22.67301,105
Software Development Engineer$109,147$9,096$52.47356,971

Top companies hiring junior software engineers now:

  1. Airbnb jobs (8)
  2. Thomson Reuters jobs (8)
  3. Westlake Chemical jobs (9)
  4. Granite Telecommunications jobs (10)
  5. Peraton jobs (12)

Which companies pay junior software engineers the most?

Junior software engineer salaries at Apple and Airbnb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average junior software engineer salary at companies like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Square are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Apple$122,756$59.02
2Airbnb$122,128$58.72
3JPMorgan Chase & Co.$114,217$54.91
4Square$113,480$54.56
5RichRelevance$107,912$51.88
6Sephora$102,251$49.16
7State Street$99,796$47.98
8Daysmart$98,516$47.36
9Sony Interactive Entertainment America$97,725$46.98
10Grubhub$96,164$46.23
11General Motors$95,874$46.09
12Z Capital Group$93,847$45.12
13OpenEye - The Cloud Video Platform$92,519$44.48
14Zscaler$91,603$44.04
15Über$90,770$43.64
16Grandbridge Real Estate Capital$90,467$43.49
17Rubicon Project$89,063$42.82
18Agility$88,371$42.49
19Yellowpages$88,243$42.42
20Medicomp$88,173$42.39

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$77,000$75,800$74,600$73,400$72,200$71,000
MaleFemale

Junior Software Engineer salary by industry

The average junior software engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average junior software engineer salary in the finance industry is $85,019, the highest of any industry.
  • The average junior software engineer salary in the finance industry is $83,077.
  • Junior software engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $76,576, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for junior software engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$85,019$40.87
2Internet$83,077$39.94
3Start-up$80,525$38.71
4Manufacturing$78,712$37.84
5Technology$77,943$37.47
6Professional$76,576$36.82

High paying junior software engineer jobs

Junior software engineer salary trends

The average junior software engineer salary has risen by $14,463 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average junior software engineer earned $63,441 annually, but today, they earn $77,904 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for junior software engineers over the last decade.

Compare junior software engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average junior software engineer salary over time

Compare junior software engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Junior software engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$77,900$37.45+3.3%
2025$75,300$36.22+2.3%
2024$73,600$35.40+1.8%
2023$72,300$34.77+1.7%
2022$71,100$34.19+1.8%

Recently added junior software engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Navex GlobalJunior Software EngineerCharlotte, NC06/30/2025$33,288
PerspectaJunior Software Engineer-Clearance RequiredAurora, CO06/29/2025$80,000
OpeneyeJunior Software EngineerIone, WA06/28/2025$70,000
Parsons Technical ServicesJunior Software Engineer-Ts/Sci W/PolyDenver, CO06/27/2025$72,900
Maxar Technologies Ltd.Junior Front-End Software EngineerHerndon, VA06/26/2025$110,000
Bayside SolutionsJR. Backend Software Engineer, Block StorageSeattle, WA06/26/2025$104,000
Intelligenesis LLCSoftware Engineer JuniorAnnapolis, MD06/26/2025$148,790
Parsons CorporationJunior Software Engineer-Ts/Sci W/PolyDenver, CO06/25/2025$72,900
SmartronixJunior Software Engineer (Ts/Sci CI Poly) (4405)Chantilly, VA06/25/2025$110,000
Parsons Commercial Technology Group Inc.Junior Software Engineer-Ts/Sci W/PolyDenver, CO06/25/2025$72,900

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