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The average salary for a Senior Software Manager in the United States stands at $145,610 annually. This figure reflects the demand for professionals who lead complex software projects and manage development teams. Salaries can vary significantly based on several factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and industry sector.
Senior Software Managers in states like California, Washington, and New York often command higher salaries due to the concentration of tech companies and higher living costs. For example, the highest-paying state, California, offers an average salary exceeding $160,000, reflecting the competitive nature of the tech industry there.
Various online resources provide salary estimates for Senior Software Managers, contributing to a clearer understanding of compensation trends. These estimates show that experience plays a crucial role; those with over 10 years in the field tend to earn significantly more than their less experienced counterparts.
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The average senior software manager salary in California, Oregon, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior software manager salary states are West Virginia, Iowa, and Indiana.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $176,132 | $84.68 |
| 2 | Washington | $162,419 | $78.09 |
| 3 | Oregon | $169,424 | $81.45 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $131,768 | $63.35 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $129,661 | $62.34 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $137,062 | $65.90 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $140,308 | $67.46 |
| 8 | Nevada | $144,882 | $69.65 |
| 9 | Alaska | $156,261 | $75.13 |
| 10 | Utah | $125,829 | $60.49 |
| 11 | Idaho | $134,678 | $64.75 |
| 12 | Arizona | $134,815 | $64.81 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $132,672 | $63.78 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $128,170 | $61.62 |
| 15 | Delaware | $125,151 | $60.17 |
| 16 | New York | $128,372 | $61.72 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $124,249 | $59.74 |
| 18 | Texas | $122,649 | $58.97 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $116,794 | $56.15 |
| 20 | Kansas | $116,226 | $55.88 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $123,640 | $59.44 |
| 22 | Montana | $119,692 | $57.54 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $122,673 | $58.98 |
| 24 | Ohio | $121,032 | $58.19 |
| 25 | Alabama | $123,497 | $59.37 |
| 26 | Michigan | $122,706 | $58.99 |
| 27 | Maine | $124,762 | $59.98 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $116,712 | $56.11 |
| 29 | Colorado | $120,916 | $58.13 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $119,985 | $57.69 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $116,542 | $56.03 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $114,448 | $55.02 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $110,580 | $53.16 |
| 34 | Virginia | $114,589 | $55.09 |
| 35 | Missouri | $112,218 | $53.95 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $125,609 | $60.39 |
| 37 | Georgia | $116,588 | $56.05 |
| 38 | Vermont | $114,836 | $55.21 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $114,028 | $54.82 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $107,189 | $51.53 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $111,502 | $53.61 |
| 42 | Illinois | $113,157 | $54.40 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $103,989 | $49.99 |
| 44 | Maryland | $109,718 | $52.75 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $110,405 | $53.08 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $103,750 | $49.88 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $108,706 | $52.26 |
| 48 | Florida | $108,077 | $51.96 |
| 49 | Indiana | $105,917 | $50.92 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $105,276 | $50.61 |
| 51 | Iowa | $106,477 | $51.19 |
The highest-paying cities for senior software managers are San Francisco, CA, Hillsboro, OR, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $190,109 | $91.40 |
| 2 | Hillsboro, OR | $171,911 | $82.65 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $165,582 | $79.61 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $143,970 | $69.22 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $140,703 | $67.65 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $137,261 | $65.99 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $135,419 | $65.11 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $128,383 | $61.72 |
| 9 | Jersey City, NJ | $128,350 | $61.71 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $123,091 | $59.18 |
| 11 | Novi, MI | $122,823 | $59.05 |
| 12 | Colorado Springs, CO | $121,446 | $58.39 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $120,793 | $58.07 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $117,201 | $56.35 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $116,439 | $55.98 |
| 16 | Arlington, VA | $115,513 | $55.54 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $113,830 | $54.73 |
| 18 | Waukegan, IL | $113,559 | $54.60 |
A senior software manager's salary ranges from $107,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $197,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $197,000 | $16,417 | $95 |
| 75th Percentile | $170,000 | $14,167 | $82 |
| Average | $145,610 | $12,134 | $70 |
| 25th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 10th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
The highest paying types of senior software managers are director of software development, senior development manager, and software engineering manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager, Systems Engineering | $130,127 | $10,844 | $62.56 | 174,962 |
| Information Technology Director | $138,906 | $11,576 | $66.78 | 87,765 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Information Technology Manager | $119,589 | $9,966 | $57.49 | 108,179 |
| Director Of Software Development | $158,853 | $13,238 | $76.37 | 136,310 |
| Service Delivery Manager | $102,213 | $8,518 | $49.14 | 71,475 |
Top companies hiring senior software managers now:
Senior software manager salaries at eBay and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior software manager salary at companies like NVIDIA and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eBay | $221,712 | $106.59 |
| 2 | Apple | $216,576 | $104.12 |
| 3 | NVIDIA | $207,336 | $99.68 |
| 4 | PayPal | $205,040 | $98.58 |
| 5 | Adobe | $199,607 | $95.96 |
| 6 | Gap Inc. | $198,336 | $95.35 |
| 7 | Box | $196,563 | $94.50 |
| 8 | ServiceNow | $189,799 | $91.25 |
| 9 | Audible | $186,999 | $89.90 |
| 10 | Citrix | $183,638 | $88.29 |
| 11 | BorgWarner | $178,374 | $85.76 |
| 12 | Rackspace | $176,791 | $85.00 |
| 13 | BrightTALK | $175,156 | $84.21 |
| 14 | Nisum | $174,556 | $83.92 |
| 15 | Amazon | $174,015 | $83.66 |
| 16 | Amd | $172,363 | $82.87 |
| 17 | Hotwire | $171,728 | $82.56 |
| 18 | Fortinet | $171,026 | $82.22 |
| 19 | PacBio | $170,431 | $81.94 |
| 20 | Intel | $170,242 | $81.85 |
The average senior software manager salary has risen by $31,925 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior software manager earned $113,685 annually, but today, they earn $145,610 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior software managers over the last decade.
Compare senior software manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior software manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $146,000 | $70.00 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $141,000 | $67.79 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $137,000 | $66.01 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $134,000 | $64.48 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | $131,000 | $62.90 | +3.1% |
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