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Software developer salary
Average software developer salary
$87,521
Average Software Developer Salary
The average salary for software developers in the United States is $87,521 per year. Salaries can vary significantly based on geographic location, years of experience, and specific technical skills. For instance, developers with expertise in emerging technologies or in-demand programming languages often command higher wages.
Where Can a Software Developer Earn More?
Regions such as San Francisco and New York are known for offering some of the highest salaries for software developers, driven by a competitive job market and high living costs. In addition to location, the industry plays a crucial role; sectors like finance and technology typically offer more lucrative positions.
Salary Insights by State
- California: High demand leads to median salaries around $113,000.
- Texas: Average salaries are approximately $92,000.
- New York: Developers earn about $104,000 annually.
Understanding these factors can help job seekers navigate their career paths effectively. By considering location and industry dynamics, developers can position themselves for better opportunities.
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Where can a Software Developer earn more?
Software developer salary estimates from across the web
Average software developer salary by state
The average software developer salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software developer salary states are Nebraska, Alabama, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $105,203 | $50.58 |
| 2 | California | $105,486 | $50.71 |
| 3 | Oregon | $91,925 | $44.19 |
| 4 | Virginia | $88,203 | $42.41 |
| 5 | Delaware | $86,941 | $41.80 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $83,927 | $40.35 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $89,454 | $43.01 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $87,621 | $42.13 |
| 9 | New York | $91,105 | $43.80 |
| 10 | Nevada | $90,445 | $43.48 |
| 11 | Vermont | $83,969 | $40.37 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $85,696 | $41.20 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $84,664 | $40.70 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $88,668 | $42.63 |
| 15 | Arizona | $83,223 | $40.01 |
| 16 | Texas | $81,030 | $38.96 |
| 17 | Maryland | $86,640 | $41.65 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $82,616 | $39.72 |
| 19 | Idaho | $80,470 | $38.69 |
| 20 | Ohio | $80,214 | $38.56 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $85,019 | $40.87 |
| 22 | Utah | $77,101 | $37.07 |
| 23 | Maine | $80,306 | $38.61 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $78,926 | $37.95 |
| 25 | Montana | $77,227 | $37.13 |
| 26 | Michigan | $77,535 | $37.28 |
| 27 | Illinois | $79,152 | $38.05 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $76,747 | $36.90 |
| 29 | Indiana | $74,593 | $35.86 |
| 30 | Georgia | $77,037 | $37.04 |
| 31 | Colorado | $75,164 | $36.14 |
| 32 | Iowa | $75,032 | $36.07 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $73,123 | $35.16 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $73,333 | $35.26 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $72,006 | $34.62 |
| 36 | Missouri | $73,986 | $35.57 |
| 37 | Alaska | $77,357 | $37.19 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $74,873 | $36.00 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $72,888 | $35.04 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $70,698 | $33.99 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $72,747 | $34.97 |
| 42 | Kansas | $70,041 | $33.67 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $69,233 | $33.29 |
| 44 | Florida | $73,869 | $35.51 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $73,773 | $35.47 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $71,312 | $34.28 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $72,312 | $34.77 |
| 48 | Alabama | $70,621 | $33.95 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $65,339 | $31.41 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $70,719 | $34.00 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $69,953 | $33.63 |
Highest paying cities for software developers
The highest-paying cities for software developers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $112,889 | $54.27 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $106,416 | $51.16 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $91,206 | $43.85 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $89,535 | $43.05 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $88,736 | $42.66 |
| 6 | McLean, VA | $88,269 | $42.44 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $87,594 | $42.11 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $85,185 | $40.95 |
| 9 | Jacksonville, NC | $83,935 | $40.35 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $83,348 | $40.07 |
| 11 | San Antonio, TX | $83,174 | $39.99 |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | $80,126 | $38.52 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $79,378 | $38.16 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $78,876 | $37.92 |
| 15 | Detroit, MI | $77,715 | $37.36 |
| 16 | Alpharetta, GA | $77,031 | $37.03 |
| 17 | Richmond, IN | $75,225 | $36.17 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $74,940 | $36.03 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $74,317 | $35.73 |
| 20 | Jacksonville, AR | $72,217 | $34.72 |
Software Developers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Software developer salary details
A software developer's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $113,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| 75th Percentile | $100,000 | $8,333 | $48 |
| Average | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying software developer jobs
The highest paying types of software developers are lead developer, lead software developer, and software development engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Applications Developer | $99,257 | $8,271 | $47.72 | 252,254 |
| Web Application Developer | $85,840 | $7,153 | $41.27 | 229,802 |
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| NET Developer | $88,984 | $7,415 | $42.78 | 236,690 |
| PHP Developer | $91,010 | $7,584 | $43.75 | 166,706 |
| Software Programmer | $71,612 | $5,968 | $34.43 | 253,235 |
Top companies hiring software developers now:
Which companies pay software developers the most?
Software developer salaries at The Citadel and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software developer salary at companies like Nuxeo and Google are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Citadel | $146,422 | $70.40 |
| 2 | Meta | $142,376 | $68.45 |
| 3 | Nuxeo | $137,336 | $66.03 |
| 4 | $136,747 | $65.74 | |
| 5 | Chegg | $135,626 | $65.20 |
| 6 | Apple | $135,566 | $65.18 |
| 7 | Cambridge Associates | $133,580 | $64.22 |
| 8 | BitGo | $131,882 | $63.40 |
| 9 | Atlassian | $131,719 | $63.33 |
| 10 | Morgan Lewis | $130,228 | $62.61 |
| 11 | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | $129,065 | $62.05 |
| 12 | PayPal | $128,866 | $61.95 |
| 13 | Microsoft | $127,702 | $61.40 |
| 14 | Safeway | $127,643 | $61.37 |
| 15 | MongoDB | $127,425 | $61.26 |
| 16 | Cerberus Capital Management | $125,386 | $60.28 |
| 17 | NVIDIA | $125,029 | $60.11 |
| 18 | Alphabet | $124,647 | $59.93 |
| 19 | Mitsubishi Motors | $124,506 | $59.86 |
| 20 | AQR Capital Management | $124,494 | $59.85 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Developer salary by industry
The average software developer salary varies across industries:
- The average software developer salary in the finance industry is $96,138, the highest of any industry.
- The average software developer salary in the finance industry is $93,297.
- Software developers in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $88,060, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software developers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $96,138 | $46.22 |
| 2 | Technology | $93,297 | $44.85 |
| 3 | Professional | $89,302 | $42.93 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $88,060 | $42.34 |
High paying software developer jobs
Software developer salary trends
The average software developer salary has risen by $16,247 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software developer earned $71,274 annually, but today, they earn $87,521 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software developers over the last decade.
Compare software developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software developer salary over time
Compare software developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $87,500 | $42.08 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $84,600 | $40.69 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $82,700 | $39.77 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $81,300 | $39.07 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $79,900 | $38.41 | +1.8% |
Recently added software developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Associate Software Developer | Ridley Park, PA | 06/30/2025 | $78,200 |
| Blue Origin | Software Developer III-Ai/Ml | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $148,014 |
| Oracle | Software Developer 3 | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $117,021 |
| Oracle | Principal Software Developer (Austin, TX and Nashville, TN Only) | Austin, TX | 06/29/2025 | $96,800 |
| Perspecta | .NET Software Developer | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $66,000 |
| Perspecta | Satcom UI Software Developer | Herndon, VA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Perspecta | Scientific Modeling Software Developer | Bethesda, MD | 06/29/2025 | $86,000 |
| Get It-Professional Services | Asic Software Developer-Remote | San Jose, CA | 06/29/2025 | $54,972 |
| Get It-Professional Services | CC&B Software Developer-Remote | Philadelphia, PA | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
| Get It-Professional Services | Software Developer-Remote | WFH | Saginaw, MI | 06/29/2025 | $78,000 |
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