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Senior software specialist salary
Average senior software specialist salary
$99,874
Understanding the Senior Software Specialist Salary
The average salary for a Senior Software Specialist is approximately $99,874 per year, with variations depending on geographic location, industry, and years of experience. States such as California and New York typically offer higher salaries, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in major tech hubs.
In this role, individuals are responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining software applications that meet business needs. The skills required often include proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, or C#, alongside strong problem-solving abilities and a solid understanding of software architecture.
Salary by Industry
Industries like finance, healthcare, and technology tend to offer the highest compensation. For instance, those working in financial services may earn significantly more than their peers in education or non-profits. As technology continues to evolve, the demand for experienced Senior Software Specialists is expected to grow, creating numerous opportunities for advancement.
- Key Skills: Software Development, Team Collaboration, Agile Methodologies
- Typical Employers: Tech Companies, Financial Institutions, Healthcare Organizations
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Where can a Senior Software Specialist earn more?
Senior software specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior software specialist salary by state
The average senior software specialist salary in California, Virginia, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior software specialist salary states are Indiana, Tennessee, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior software specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $122,520 | $58.90 |
| 2 | Virginia | $114,116 | $54.86 |
| 3 | Vermont | $110,281 | $53.02 |
| 4 | Arizona | $112,545 | $54.11 |
| 5 | Washington | $105,024 | $50.49 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $113,985 | $54.80 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $101,543 | $48.82 |
| 8 | Maryland | $111,948 | $53.82 |
| 9 | Delaware | $101,382 | $48.74 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $101,837 | $48.96 |
| 11 | Texas | $96,347 | $46.32 |
| 12 | Illinois | $99,389 | $47.78 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $108,910 | $52.36 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $100,946 | $48.53 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $106,036 | $50.98 |
| 16 | Oregon | $96,597 | $46.44 |
| 17 | Georgia | $95,108 | $45.73 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $90,938 | $43.72 |
| 19 | New York | $100,152 | $48.15 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $95,162 | $45.75 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $96,072 | $46.19 |
| 22 | Michigan | $93,502 | $44.95 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $92,257 | $44.35 |
| 24 | Florida | $95,567 | $45.95 |
| 25 | Montana | $92,479 | $44.46 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $93,083 | $44.75 |
| 27 | Utah | $89,156 | $42.86 |
| 28 | Nevada | $92,270 | $44.36 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $93,623 | $45.01 |
| 30 | Iowa | $89,387 | $42.97 |
| 31 | Idaho | $89,842 | $43.19 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $92,676 | $44.56 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $92,115 | $44.29 |
| 34 | Maine | $91,555 | $44.02 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $89,684 | $43.12 |
| 36 | Ohio | $88,335 | $42.47 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $88,013 | $42.31 |
| 38 | Colorado | $89,421 | $42.99 |
| 39 | Alaska | $89,540 | $43.05 |
| 40 | Indiana | $83,201 | $40.00 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $87,705 | $42.17 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $87,688 | $42.16 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $84,657 | $40.70 |
| 44 | Alabama | $84,348 | $40.55 |
| 45 | Kansas | $82,094 | $39.47 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $84,786 | $40.76 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $85,033 | $40.88 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $80,774 | $38.83 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $82,795 | $39.81 |
| 50 | Missouri | $81,440 | $39.15 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $80,704 | $38.80 |
Highest paying cities for senior software specialists
The highest-paying cities for senior software specialists are San Jose, CA, Jersey City, NJ, and Rockville, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $127,915 | $61.50 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $114,087 | $54.85 |
| 3 | Rockville, MD | $111,898 | $53.80 |
| 4 | Columbia, SC | $106,187 | $51.05 |
| 5 | Olympia, WA | $105,516 | $50.73 |
| 6 | Shrewsbury, MA | $101,048 | $48.58 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $100,315 | $48.23 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $99,654 | $47.91 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $96,709 | $46.49 |
| 10 | Saint Petersburg, FL | $96,543 | $46.41 |
| 11 | Alpharetta, GA | $95,301 | $45.82 |
| 12 | Ann Arbor, MI | $93,412 | $44.91 |
| 13 | Omaha, NE | $93,302 | $44.86 |
| 14 | Raleigh, NC | $93,086 | $44.75 |
| 15 | Hartford, CT | $92,063 | $44.26 |
| 16 | Harrisburg, PA | $89,684 | $43.12 |
| 17 | Iowa City, IA | $89,575 | $43.06 |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $89,477 | $43.02 |
| 19 | Nashville, TN | $82,845 | $39.83 |
| 20 | Saint Louis, MO | $81,760 | $39.31 |
Senior software specialist salary details
A senior software specialist's salary ranges from $79,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior software specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $99,874 | $8,323 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
Highest paying senior software specialist jobs
The highest paying types of senior software specialists are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Consultant | $88,605 | $7,384 | $42.60 | 275,746 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
Top companies hiring senior software specialists now:
Which companies pay senior software specialists the most?
Senior software specialist salaries at BNY Mellon and PerkinElmer are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior software specialist salary at companies like BJ's Wholesale Club and TAD PGS are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BNY Mellon | $121,816 | $58.57 |
| 2 | PerkinElmer | $114,429 | $55.01 |
| 3 | BJ's Wholesale Club | $110,309 | $53.03 |
| 4 | TAD PGS | $109,675 | $52.73 |
| 5 | Nokia | $109,034 | $52.42 |
| 6 | ISYS Technologies | $108,232 | $52.03 |
| 7 | Activehealth Management | $106,507 | $51.21 |
| 8 | Insight Enterprises | $105,075 | $50.52 |
| 9 | Nabors Drilling USA, LP | $104,569 | $50.27 |
| 10 | DUCK CREEK TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | $104,441 | $50.21 |
| 11 | Nabors Industries | $104,441 | $50.21 |
| 12 | Optum | $104,180 | $50.09 |
| 13 | Memphis Light, Gas & Water | $103,619 | $49.82 |
| 14 | Pearson | $103,293 | $49.66 |
| 15 | STL Communications, Inc. | $103,249 | $49.64 |
| 16 | Halliburton | $103,041 | $49.54 |
| 17 | Charles Schwab | $102,888 | $49.47 |
| 18 | Domino's Pizza | $102,490 | $49.27 |
| 19 | CoStar Group | $102,456 | $49.26 |
| 20 | Alcatel Networks Inc | $102,377 | $49.22 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Software Specialist salary by industry
The average senior software specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior software specialist salary in the retail industry is $112,279, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior software specialist salary in the finance industry is $108,878.
- Senior software specialists in the technology industry earn an average salary of $100,414, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior software specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $112,279 | $53.98 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $108,878 | $52.35 |
| 3 | Finance | $104,762 | $50.37 |
| 4 | Energy | $103,758 | $49.88 |
| 5 | Professional | $101,697 | $48.89 |
| 6 | Technology | $100,414 | $48.28 |
High paying senior software specialist jobs
Senior software specialist salary trends
The average senior software specialist salary has risen by $18,541 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior software specialist earned $81,333 annually, but today, they earn $99,874 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior software specialists over the last decade.
Compare senior software specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior software specialist salary over time
Compare senior software specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior software specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,900 | $48.02 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $96,600 | $46.43 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $94,400 | $45.38 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $92,700 | $44.58 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $91,200 | $43.83 | +1.8% |
Recently added senior software specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Atomics | Senior Software Specialist | Rome, NY | 06/20/2025 | $96,180 |
| Doma Technologies LLC | SR Software Implementation Specialist | Virginia Beach, VA | 05/25/2025 | $100,000 |
| DOMA Technologies | SR Software Implementation Specialist | Virginia Beach, VA | 05/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| DXC Technology | Senior Insurance Software Java Specialist | Baton Rouge, LA | 05/15/2025 | $65,800 |
| Fuseglobal | Senior Sensory Software Training and Documentation Specialist | Bridgewater, NJ | 05/03/2025 | $96,002 |
| Doma Technologies LLC | SR Software Implementation Specialist | Virginia Beach, VA | 04/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Charles Schwab Corporation | SR Specialist-Software Development & Engineering | Austin, TX | 04/18/2025 | $141,513 |
| GE Vernova | Senior Software Provisioning and Fulfillment Specialist (Multiple Positions) | Cambridge, MA | 04/01/2025 | $172,744 |
| Doma Technologies LLC | SR Software Implementation Specialist | Virginia Beach, VA | 03/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Edwards Lifesciences Corp | SR Specialist, Clinical Education, SW US Field Region | Kansas City, MO | 03/27/2025 | $131,000 |
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